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Tuesday, February
19, 2008
No Comparison
Romans 5:5-8 And hope maketh not ashamed;
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us. (6) For when we were yet without strength, in due
time Christ died for the ungodly. (7) For scarcely for a righteous man will
one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. (8)
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. (KJV)
Mankind bases love on a ‘what have you
done for me lately’ mindset. A love based on conditions, a conditional
love. God’s love is an unconditional love based on who you are; that unique
one of a kind creation that only you are and only you could be. People
compare themselves many times with others, thinking that they answer the
call of God so much better and that I could never be that pleasing to God.
The truth be known, no one could ever answer the call better than what the
Lord is asking of you, the unique person in Christ He created and didn’t
make a mistake with despite what you may think. Our Father’s realm is not
like the world where they play favorites and give preferential treatment to
those that can give them back something in return, but rather it is based
on an unconditional love for ones willingness and obedience to His word.
Christ loved us and died for us when we were still in sin and even died for
those that He knew would choose to stay in sin and unbelief. So before you
down play your calling or think the love of God is based on works
understand the fact that the Lord loves you and created you for His own
purpose, only you can carry out the calling He chose and selected for you
personally.
Luke 6:31-35 And as ye would that men
should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. (32) For if ye love them
which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love
them. (33) And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have
ye? for sinners also do even the same. (34) And if ye lend to them of whom
ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to
receive as much again. (35) But love ye your enemies, and do good, and
lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye
shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful
and to the evil. (KJV)
As we would like people to treat us is
the standard we need to live by. It doesn’t say they will reciprocate the
love of God we show to them, but we still need to hold to our same
standard. Many today still try to compare the love of God with how they had
been taught all of their lives, a conditional love based on the ‘what have
you done for me lately’ attitude. Greater love has no man than to lay down
His life so that the life and love of God can be shed abroad in their
hearts and be a light to those that are around them. Sometimes we think God
loves us less because maybe we are not dealing with large numbers or
because we haven’t been called to pastor a big congregation; but your
calling and your obedience to what the Lord is asking does not diminish the
love of God one bit in your life. You may have had people come and go in
your life and walk out on you for whatever reason or blame you because they
are unhappy and unfulfilled, but the love of God is eternal and is no
comparison to the love of man which is conditional.
Ephesians 3:17-19 That Christ may dwell
in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (18)
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length,
and depth, and height; (19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (KJV)
To know the love of Christ is not
something we can comprehend with the mind; it passes our knowledge and
doesn’t make sense. So the more one can stay out of their head and not lean
to their own understanding the more they will become rooted and grounded in
this unconditional love of Christ which is shed abroad in the heart. When
watching TV there will be advertisements that promote websites where one
can go find their soul mate in life. For many of these people that are
looking for love they will compare pictures and base their choices on
outward appearances as well as their financial status, which basically
means that if there is a change in any of these situations then the love that
was there in the beginning will be like a flame that flickers and burns
out. All of us have experienced the heartache of a breakup or lost love at
some point in our lives which was painful at the time because we wondered
what we did wrong or how we could have kept the flame burning. Many times
it wasn’t anything you did wrong it’s just that it wasn’t right in the
first place and didn’t have a solid foundation. At the time you may have
been devastated not realizing that God had something or someone better
suited for you, something that would be long lasting based on a real love
with a solid foundation. Once you truly experience the love of God you
realize that everything God does on your behalf is for your benefit so that
you could have life and have it more abundantly.
1 John 4:16-19 And we have known and
believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in
love dwelleth in God, and God in him. (17) Herein is our love made perfect,
that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are
we in this world. (18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth
out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in
love. (19) We love him, because he first loved us. (KJV)
Our love for the Lord is made perfect as
we mature in Him and realize everything He has done on our behalf is so
that we could have fellowship with Him and walk in the realm of the Spirit.
The fear is eliminated when you realize that you are trusting more in what
the Lord has done on your behalf and not in what you think you should be
doing on His behalf. We realize that God loves us for the unique individual
that we are and that no one else could carry out the calling and the place
in the body of Christ He has set us in. While some preach only fire and
brimstone, and portray a God of anger and vengeance, it’s because they
still hold to the letter of the law which kills and keeps the love of God
from flowing to their heart.
Psalms 45:1-2 My heart is inditing a good
matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my
tongue is the pen of a ready writer. (2) Thou art fairer than the children
of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for
ever. (KJV)
Inditing means to gush; letting the love
of God that has been shed in the heart flow through you and water those
around you. Out of the abundance of our heart the mouth will speak, our
tongue being an extension of it. Have you experienced the love of God? Are you able to give an accurate account
of how that love is shed abroad in the heart which will gush out of you
like a fire hydrant and douse the fiery darts of the enemy? There is no
comparison.
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