Our Part – What Can We Do To Keep Our Heart Spiritually Healthy?
Yesterday we learned, in 1 John 4, verses 7-18, about God’s love and ours. We talked about what God did for us and how he “gives” us love. Now we are going to learn a little of what we are supposed to be giving back.
John goes on to say in chapter 4:19-21; “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
God’s love is the source of all human love, and it spreads like fire. In loving His children, God kindles a flame in their hearts. In turn, they love others, who are warmed by God’s love through them. It is easy to say we love God when that love doesn’t cost us anything more than weekly attendance at religious services. But the real test of our love for God is how we treat the people right in front of us – Our family members and fellow believers. We cannot truly love God while neglecting to love those who are created in His image.
Because we are born as sinners our natural inclination is to please ourselves rather than God. David followed that inclination when he took another man’s wife. We also follow it when we sin in any way. Like David, we must as God to cleanse us from within, clearing our hearts and spirits for new thoughts an desires. Right conduct can come only from a clean heart and spirit. Ask God to create a pure heart and spirit in you.
Psalm 51: 10 says this; “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Hebrews 3:12-15 tells us “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said: ”Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
Our hearts turn away from the living God when we stubbornly refuse to believe Him. If we persist in our unbelief, God will eventually leave us alone in our sin. But God can give us new hearts, new desired, and new spirits. To prevent having an unbelieving heart, stay in fellowship with other believers, talk daily about your mutual faith, be aware of the deceitfulness of sin, and encourage each other with love and concern.
Gods love is never dependent on what we do; yet somehow we tend to be fooled into thinking that we can earn “brownie points” with God by our behavior. We must remember that we can never be good enough to earn God’s love. His love is continuous and unconditional for everyone that will receive it. God loves us simply because he IS love. God can’t help but love you and me!
It’s easy for some people to believe that God loved “the world,” but they have trouble believing that God loves them. do you believe that God loves you? Do you know that if you were the only person on earth, Jesus still would have suffered death and separation from God just for YOU? That’s how precious you are to God.
Jesus loves me this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to HIS belong,
They are weak but HE is strong.
This is probably one of the first songs I ever learned. When I was young I knew that Jesus loved me, and if I accepted that love I was saved. So to me, being loved by Jesus and being saved went hand in hand. I once asked my mom how to KNOW I was saved and confessed that I didn’t feel saved anymore. She told me that love is only expressed by feelings, but it is a decision; a promise. Then she said that even when I don’t FEEL saved I can trust the promise of Jesus that HE does in-fact love me, and that HE promises to save and keep anyone who is willing to accept HIM. I made a choice to love HIM, HE made a promise to love me, no matter what. Nothing can change His mind, nothing will make HIM break HIS promise. So now, as an adult, when I feel the world pressing down on me and my heart is unsure of where I stand I remember that no matter how I feel, God made me a promise. I stand on that promise when I am up, and I stand on that promise when I am down… and it brings me back up!
Comment by Chris Maher — December 21, 2009 @ 10:56 am |