Do Everything in Love Devotional Reading August 7, 2023
"Do everything in love." —1 Corinthians 16:14
Throughout the Apostle Paul's epistles [letters] to the members of the early churches, he addresses and identifies the traits of a righteous character. Love is the foundation of our relationship with Christ and with others.
1 Corinthians 13 is known as the Love Chapter—"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal." —1 Corinthians 13:1
Because we live in a world where love is no longer viewed as an essential character trait, conflict has risen to an all-time high. Yes, we live in the perilous times [2 Timothy 3] the apostle Paul spoke about. Without love, the heart is filled with apathy and hatred. Loveless hearts are self-centered and void of compassion for others.
God's Definition of Perilous Times
"But know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!" —2 Timothy 3:1-5
Without love for God and others, hatred and discontent produce the bitter fruit of conflict. Conflict has become a pervasive issue in our lives, from governments and politics to our workplaces, schools, homes, and public spaces. People are speaking out to express their support for controversial causes and to communicate their personal values and beliefs. Even those who are typically reserved are now voicing their opinions.
Unfortunately, many words are intentionally spoken to cause harm to others.
God's Righteous Standard: "Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you." —Ephesians 4:32, Amplified Bible
The lack of agape love is also evident in the Christian community. Living according to how we feel results in differences of opinion which sparks conflict. Because we do not study the Bible which defines the traits of a righteous character, we inflict church hurt on other believers, family, and friends through our spoken words. Many of our marriages and close relationships are suffering because we do not have loving hearts.
The worldviews of "my truth is what I perceive it to be," and "I have the right to express my feelings even if it hurts others" has been readily accepted and practiced by unbelievers for a long time. But now many Christians are also speaking harshly to others. However, with this mindset and behavior, we have not only separated ourselves from God, but we also fail to represent the loving character of Christ.
"Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.' " Matthew 22:37-40
Like the apostle Paul, many pastors have the additional burden of acting as a mediator between members, especially in church board meetings. And many believers are involved in petty arguments because they do not have loving hearts, or possess knowledge of the Scriptures which emphasize loving God and loving others.
Unless we stay on bended knees and study the Scriptures that tell us the righteous characteristics we must possess, we lean to our own understanding and become products of our environment. Sadly, we are no different from the unbelievers who possess loveless hearts.
For Believers with Loving Hearts
"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." —1 John 4:11
As Christians, we face spiritual warfare every day. When we possess loving hearts, Satan will use people to speak harsh words to us. We may ignore the words of a stranger, but what happens when friends and family speak abusive, hurtful words? Do not retaliate! Remain silent. Do not respond! Walk away, find a place of solitude, and pray! Note: This action is for adult-to-adult situations. Certainly, you should pray, but do not walk away from a disobedient child who is disrespectful.
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." —Exodus 14:14
God never told us to fight our battles. God promised His Divine Intervention in every aspect of our lives if we are obedient. When facing conflict, silence, and prayer allow the Holy Spirit to soothe our hearts and provide God with the opportunity to fight for us. We serve a Warrior God who is ready to defend us when we stand down and do not use our spoken words to retaliate.
Still, there are a couple of steps we need to take to prevent our hearts from harboring resentment and from becoming a victim of verbal, mental, and emotional abuse.
Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, 'Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven…' " Matthew 5:43-45
Remember, forgiveness and praying for our enemies is not optional. We cannot receive the reward of eternal life without possessing the Fruit of the Spirit which includes the traits of love, gentleness, and self-control.
"A man's insight gives him patience and his virtue is to overlook an offense." —Proverbs 19:11
When we harbor a spirit of offense, the spoken words from the other person act as a catalyst to fill our hearts with anger, bitterness, resentment, grief, or fear. Remember our hearts are carnal and always choose sin over righteousness! If we allow these bitter fruits [negative emotions] to grow our spiritual status changes from a righteous believer to an unrighteous unbeliever.
Without possessing agape love that forgives all wrongs, we will replay the hurtful words over and over again in our minds, and then our relationship with Christ becomes nonexistent. We cannot harbor ungodly feelings and attempt to worship a Righteous God.
Reflection: Do I have a loving heart? Do my spoken words reveal the love of Christ?
Our Daily Prayer: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." — Psalm 51:10
Believer Alert: Our primary focus must be Christ! External conflict results in inner conflict. Staying alert to our heart's true condition is only possible from the discernment of the Holy Spirit. Through prayer, we receive daily strength from the Holy Spirit to recognize the entrapment of conflict. Studying the Scriptures allows us to compare ourselves to the Bible, our Spiritual Mirror.
Much prayer is required when we choose to follow the will of God and let Him fight our battles. Because we are in a spiritual war, we must view our hardships through spiritual eyes. Trials and tribulations have a specific purpose—to change and mold our character into the likeness of Christ's character.
Our loving God never condones or uses Abuse in any form to bring spiritual changes to our character. All conflict and abuse have satanic origins.
"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." —Luke 6:45
Remember not everyone has a loving heart! Even so, we should not make excuses or tolerate ungodly behaviors from family and friends. Conflict distracts us. We cannot focus on our relationship with Christ and our spiritual assignment when Satan is using familiar people to intentionally hurt us.
"For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace…" —1 Corinthians 14:33
Walk away from all strife! Faithful believers receive and enjoy God's gift of peace which Satan attempts to take away by stirring up confusion. The peace of God is necessary for us to worship God. Through praying and studying the Bible when unloving people are speaking abusive words which stir up strife.
Jesus reminds us that we must love and put God first, above our spouses, family, and friends.
"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life." —Matthew 19:29
If you cannot sit down and have a heartfelt talk with the individual who speaks harmful words then immediately set in place the practice of social distancing. The decision to separate yourself from the person may cause emotional pain, but Christ expects our loyalty to be to God.
"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14).
False Belief: The concept of a mean-spirited Christian [whether spouse, family, or friend].
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body…" —1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Created in the image of God, we have the responsibility to take care of our bodies. We will never find a Scripture that supports believer's mistreating others. Nor will we find any Scriptures that indicate God requires us to stay in a relationship or marriage where abuse replaces love. We can never change another person's heart!
With tears and a leap of faith, we must sever the relationship, therefore, demonstrating our love and faith in God. By removing ourselves from the unhealthy relationship, we reveal that our primary goal is to stay close to Christ. With a loving heart, we forgive, move forward, and God will restart our lives. He specializes in New Beginnings!
If we love and obey God's Righteous Precepts and Standards in our earthly journey then we will receive the strength from the Holy Spirit to stay on the narrow Path of Righteousness which leads to eternal life. We are commanded to love God and to love others, including our enemies.
"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." —1 John 4:12
Despite our earthly trials, our goal is to always have the mind of Christ Jesus. Through prayer and the use of silence instead of retaliation or arguing, we practice self-control, a characteristic of the Fruit of the Spirit. Prayer allows us to stay in the presence of God and to receive strength from the Holy Spirit to avoid sinful conflict.
Our spiritual journey requires that we conduct ourselves as men and women of God under all circumstances. Do everything in love!
Prayer: God, we pray for the Fruit of the Spirit. At times we fall short of the love and self-control you requires and for these sins, we ask for forgiveness. Please give us the strength to love and pray for our enemies and to establish and maintain boundaries. We desire to be men and women of God who are preparing every day for Jesus' soon coming. In Jesus' name, Amen.
© 2023 Sonya Darcell Johnson, Steps 2 Success with Solutions and Woman, You Are Loved by God Ministries
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