1 John 4:8
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Pillars X: Love
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:8
Beloved,
In our church right now, we are spending time talking about and praying for spiritual gifts – that they manifest and be enhanced in our lives. Our spiritual gifts are what we receive when we make Christ the Lord of our lives; that is, when Christ and His kingdom are revealed in us. Apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians that of all gifts, love is the most essential. In fact, he says, “…the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
The reason that love is “the greatest of these“ is because God Himself is great! As we learned the last time from John, the beloved apostle of Christ, God is love. Love, which is part of the personality of our King, is evidence that, indeed, you have made Jesus your Savior and Lord.
Love is both a gift and a fruit. It is a gift that helps you in carrying out the work of ministry God has assigned you. Love is also fruit. It is produced as the fruit you get to enjoy as a resultant affect of your intimate relationship with God’s Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Many people display elaborate acts of what they claim to be the Holy Spirit at work in them. But the Bible warns us that by their fruit, we will know them (Matthew 7:15-20). Such people do not last. All that they are calling the Holy Spirit is only emotion. The Holy Spirit will always produce what is healing and what is lasting. He will produce that which brings glory to and reflects well upon the kingdom of the true and living God.
Beloved, it does not matter how deep or strong or miraculous anything appears. If it is not of love then it is not of God. Please understand that worshipping or serving God in any capacity with any thing less than the love of Christ in your heart can never stand the test of time and it will never yield lasting or kingdom relevant results. Anything you are doing that is simply out of logic or emotion cannot stand as a substitute for what the love that comes from above can accomplish in us and through us. Please make it a point and priority to routinely service your relationship with the Holy Spirit. Do this by receiving Him into your life and yielding to Him. Pray. Read the word. Surrender to Him. These are all things you should do once you give your life to Christ. Let love go to work for you and you will see that you become as invincible and as glorious as the unshakeable kingdom of your Father in Heave.n
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.
I call you blessed. I call you NATIONS.
