To Love In Truth

‎Thursday, ‎December ‎3, ‎2020

Good Morning, Lord

V.O.D.: 1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

M.O.M.: Ephesians 4:31

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.(English Standard Version)

Today's reading: EZEKIEL 47-48 1 JOHN 3

To Love In Truth

John 15:13 ►Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.

1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

We have heard so much about 'seeing' a sermon rather than hearing one. We have heard and read what James said about faith: "17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James 2

From this, many have taken permission to judge those whose work for the kingdom cannot be seen.

Step back and think about this, please. Judging someone because their work is not seen, forgive me or not, seems to me to be just as bad as 'faith without works'. Judging reduces those who feel they must judge to the same mindset that nailed Jesus to the cross.

The 'legalist'-one who believes we should be held to a set of rules they pick from scripture. (Pharisee- those distinguished by strict observance of the traditional and written law, and commonly held to have pretensions to superior sanctity.)

If we return to 1 John 3:18, "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

Loving in truth, then, is the basis for all our lives or we live no real life at all.

I have maintained for years that if faith without works is dead, then works without faith is dead.

Works, words-anything without truth is wood, hay and stubble...1 Corinthians 3

11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Christ Jesus loved in truth. He laid down His life for us. Psalm 23 says "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake." Christ Jesus set the standard for us. It seems to us to be an unreachable thing-to lay our lives down. How do we do that?

Love in Truth. Look into God's heart with the mind of Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:16.

The next time you see someone who rubs you the wrong way, in person or on TV or where ever, put the mind of Christ out front of all your thinking. Pray the grace of God over all you see. Be truthful with God. He knows when someone you see brings anger up in your mind. Do not try to hide it from Him, confess it.

Here is the hardest part for most of us. Ask God for the heart to love that person admitting you would rather not. Life is too brief to hate-even just a little. Hate culminates in disaster. Hate never ends well for anyone.

Love in truth. It starts with living with the truth. The only real good in us comes from God's nature and the more we seek Him with our whole heart, the more He lets us live it for His glory-for His name sake.

Promote God. Make Him first. Let the world feel God's love in what you do and say. But, let it all be in truth. Truth in your heart in front of God and in front of the world. Stop lying to yourself and God and let all the pretense go.

Make sure the mandated mask on your face is not covering a mask you have fabricated. Live freely in Christ and love in truth.

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

Forgive me for not loving in truth and trying to hide it from You. I want my desire to be to love in truth the way You intend.

Merciful and loving God,

In Christ Jesus' name,

Amen