WALKING IN LOVE BY AWE HILARY

In the book of Genesis 4:9, the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” and Cain answered the Lord in the same verse of the aforementioned scripture saying, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” This response was very strange and satanic considering the fact that it emanated from the lips of a murderer who offered to the earth the blood of his brother as a man offereth wine to his neighbor. The Bible in the book of Luke 6:45 makes us understand, that spoken words are reflective on the content of the heart, and this verse gives us a clear diagnosis of the condition of Cain’s heart. Taking a closer look at Cains response to God, it is evident to note that Cain’s heart lacked love, and this evidence was first of all portrayed not after the heinous crime of murder but in his offering to God, which made the Lord to dishonor his sacrifice.

WHAT IS LOVE?

In the world today, we find quite a number of definitions with regards to love, and the “people of the world” have also lent their voice to this crucial topic by redefining love in a bit to feed the destructive desires of their flesh. In giving love a befitting definition and placing it in the right perspective and context, it is imperative for us to know its Origin or Source.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” JOHN 3:16(NKJV).

God is the source of love, and before man knew what love was, Love was already in existence. Love is not the product of mans imagination, but it is the revelation of Gods personality. In John 3:16, God gave us His personality which was revealed through Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish but have eternal abundance. The essence and mandate of Love is for the salvation of souls, and any contrary definition or act becomes a lustful desire. The power of love is in its expressive capacity which is reflected in the word “Giving” and God expressed His love to man by the act of “Giving”, which is not a feeling but an expression.

However, with the already laid foundation, love can be defined as an action that leads to salvation. Love is so important, because;

• It is the foundation of our salvation.
• It is the driving force of our salvation.
• Through Love, God recreated man by making us a new creation through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Moreover, it is imperative for the life of every believer to be a reflection of love because by so doing, we show forth:

• The proof of our salvation
• The authenticity of our salvation.
• Our Identity.

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LOVE?

The Holy Bible is the word of God, and the only recognizable standard for every believer, for any other standard at variance with it, becomes a reproach and a gateway to hell. Love is regarded as the greatest (1 Corinthians 13:13), because it is the personality of the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth and everything therein. The Holy Bible in the book of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV), outlines the attributes or characteristics of love, which is to ensure that we are in conformity with the set standard. These Characteristics are;

• Patience
• Kindness
• Not envious
• Not boastful
• Not proud
• Does not dishonor others
• Not self seeking
• Not easily angered
• Keeps no record of wrongdoing
• Does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth
• Always hopes and perseveres
• It never fails.

HOW CAN WE WALK IN LOVE?

DISCOVER THE ORIGIN:

The first step in the walk of love, is a personal discovery of its origin, because a good knowledge of the origin will guide and order your steps in the right direction, thereby making you immune to various death traps which are products of the misconceptions and manipulations of Satan and his agents.The Holy Bible says “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” John 8:32 (NKJV). God is the originator and the source of love, for only through Him can love be made existent in our lives.

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” 1 JOHN 4:8 (NKJV).

Love is a revelation of God’s personality, and if God is love, then it will be scriptural to say that love is God, which therefore makes love the greatest (1 Corinthians 13:13) and the oldest personality in existence. When we show forth love as believers, we reveal the nature and identity of God in our lives, and this gives us a heritage with Him.

CONNECT WITH THE ORIGIN:

Discovery of the origin is a great step because it takes away the blindfold of ignorance, but connecting with the origin gives you access to its content. Having access to the origin, means that there is a constant and unhindered communication between the origin and the receiver, and this can only be achieved through a communication channel.

Jesus said to him “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” JOHN 14:6 (NKJV).

The content of Love can only be accessed through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the revelation of the Fathers love to us, for it is practically impossible to separate Jesus Christ from love and love from Jesus Christ. This is the area where the devil and his agents deceive people by brainwashing them in thinking that they can partake in what they perceive as love without Jesus Christ. The source of love is pure and holy, so also is the communication channel, and as a result its content cannot be dirty or sinful. Love is not about giving (1 Corinthians 13:3), but having the nature of God through Jesus Christ.

If you are reading this article right now and have not given your life to Jesus Christ, I would kindly urge you to do so because, it is only through Jesus Christ you can get unhindered access to Love and be identified with God.

KNOWING YOUR RESPONSIBILITY:

And He said to them “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” LUKE 2:49 (NKJV).

What was His Father’s business?

The life of Jesus Christ was a life of responsibilities, for He knew what was expected of Him as a Messiah, and that became His priority. He did not live a life of trial and error, because He was fully aware of His mandate which was to reveal the Father’s love to us by preaching the gospel of His Father and winning souls for heaven, which was crowned by His death on the cross. This is the love that God and heaven represents, and as believers we are bound by covenant to follow suit by giving our Father’s business a priority in our lives, in the preaching of the message of Christ and depopulating hell.

Love is an action that leads to salvation, and our actions as believers should be centered on this purpose, because the greatest love you can show to a person is preventing the soul of that individual from going to hell through the message of Jesus Christ.

LIVING A LIFE OF FORGIVENESS:

“Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection” COLOSSIANS 3:13-14 (NKJV).

God revealed His love to humanity through the forgiveness of sins by giving us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ who knew no sin, but was made sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him ( 2 Corinthians 5:21). Love forgives and holds no records of wrong doing.

The act of unforgiveness is a product of the flesh and a rejection of the nature of God. As believers we are meant to operate in the spirit because our God is spirit and we should not be engaged in carrying out the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Offense is a common commodity nowadays, but as believers we are bound by covenant to forgive, by putting on the garment of love which is the bond of perfection.

PRAYER:

“Brethren, pray for us” 1 THESSALONIANS 5:25 (NKJV).

As believers, we are duty bound to pray for one another through the name of Jesus Christ, even as Jesus Christ makes intercession for us at the throne of His Father (Romans 8:34). One of the biggest problems facing Christianity today is that many of us spend more time criticizing each other rather than praying for one another. Prayer is an act of love because, it will be difficult for you to pray for a person you hate, or for a heart that is a storage tank of offence to intercede in prayers for those in its record of offence. Over the years I have learnt a lesson which is, the more you pray, the more you learn how to forgive, because the bible says “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully” PSALM 24:3-4 (NKJV).

However, it is important to note that the act of unforgiveness is a trait of prayerlessness.

TAKE ACTION:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” JOHN 3:16(NKJV).

Salvation would have been non-existent if God did not take action through GIVING. As believers in Christ, we should understand that we are agents and vessels of change through which God answers the prayers of our fellow brethren and the needy around us irrespective of whether they are in faith or out of faith. We should learn to spend our time and resources in bringing a real change by having a positive impact in our environment through the act of love.

 However, love is not discriminatory but brings people to the realization of the truth, and that was why Jesus Christ of Nazareth went about doing good (Acts 10:38). God bless you.

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