Greetings sisters!
Today I have a quick post on an important subject. It's one that is to be a big part of our lives as believers as well as the reason we have hope because the Father sent His Son! God loved the world through Jesus! So we must come through Christ and His gospel in order to be loved as His children and find grace.
I've written about this before here and there but I will put a few things together here that I have learnt and think about often. I'll share some scriptures...and I hope you ponder them deeply and are edified and encouraged.
We want to be women who love God first, love the brethren, love our lost neighbours and I'll add, our enemies too as Jesus' taught.
"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."
1 John 3:18
Our love as godly women to others will be backed up with actions, as that verse says, in deed and in truth.
Reminds me of this one in fact...
That's kind of what we see today in how people do not care for other people's souls as well. They don't truly care with godly love, though they may say "I love you" and "God loves you" but they do not love in deed and in truth. That is why we focus on the gospel of Christ because without that correct then no one has hope. Many people who claim to be believers though are more concerned about physical needs of those around them and ignore the more important spiritual food of the gospel.
These verses summarise what I learned. Everyone was saying to love God but how can you do that? I didn't truly know. Of course God's Word has all the answers we need!
"And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself."
Luke 10:27
The answer...
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
1 John 5:3
Jesus says...
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
...
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
...
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
(John 14:15, 21; 15:10)
So that would make me think "what are His commandments?" and I'd go looking and searching in His Word! And that is what I am and have been doing. And I have learned so much...and there are so many commands. But Christ alone is worthy and we are just servants doing our duties to please Him.
All this truth is sinking deeper and deeper into me and so I thought I'd share it here as well. I am still grasping the depths of it the more I learn, but as a fruit of the Spirit too it will grow as I walk in the spirit and starve the flesh more and more.
Sadly this is what we often see...
Philippians 2:21
Philippians 2:4
If I think in terms of myself, and if I don't tell the truth to the lost, I perhaps see it as lack of faith in God and Christ and what He said about that the end is coming, hell and eternal destruction is coming for the disobedient and sinners, just as heaven and eternal life with the Father is coming for those who obey Him. If I truly believe all that by faith, then I may feel a bit like Noah did as it says in Hebrews 11, "and being moved with fear prepared an ark to the saving of his house". You fear God and so you look deeply what He wants from us as women and you obey that, and will be saved if you endure and have obeyed the gospel all through what Christ has done. And in love you want that for others too, to the saving of their souls!
And there is love of the brethren. That's an interesting one as we are all scattered and don't know of most of us of course. And it is such a precious and rare thing today too...well that's also because there aren't many brothers and sisters in Christ left really. The love of God is rare, the love of the brethren is rare and the love of the lost is rare. Where is the godly love? Praise God there are still a few who have it. May that be us sisters.
If we were gathered together in a group of believers all living within close proximity (as in the early days in the book of Acts etc) well that would be a bit different. I think we would be sharing many things, meals, possessions, helping each other with work, gathering for teaching from the Word from the men, women teaching on women's subjects and encouraging each other, looking after children, and the elderly, and helping each other with house work. That would be nice wouldn't it sisters?! It would all be centred around the risen Saviour too. It's just how it all seems from the book of Acts. I like this account.
"And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.
And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.
But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.
But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place."
Acts 12:12-17
Just a group of believers gathered together in Mary's house praying...and Peter, delivered from prison, knocks on the door. What a joy and miracle that was!
"And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,"Acts 2:46
But those days are seemingly long gone and so we are all scattered here and there where the remnant is.
And this blog is one way I can love in deed and truth to encourage and edify you sisters and as this verse says...
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:"Hebrews 10:24
It is my love for you. I do my best and I hope it encourages and blesses you.
...from a daughter of God
See the biblical gospel to eternal life here.