Walking in God’s Love

When it comes to the great truth of God’s Word, we must understand the interconnection that exists within it. All truth leads back to the life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the central subject throughout God’s Word. Everything that our Precious and Powerful Heavenly Father is, is contained in Christ. Jesus showed us the love of God, and he revealed all the things the Father wants done in the earth. He began this work, and it is our responsibility as his ambassadors and followers to continue it. We need to know this, because just as a farmer can’t plant a harvest by putting bullets into the soil, you and I can’t continue the work of Christ by putting negativity into the earth.

Heavenly Father is in charge of the harvest, and He has made us laborers. We have the distinct privilege to both plant and gather together the harvest for the Lord, and the way to accomplish this is by walking in His love. This work of God is our mission. It is to show others His love, light, and power so they may see Him through us, and give Him the glory. This work cannot be done our way. It must be done His way. Jesus Christ told us in John 14:6(NLT), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Jesus Christ is the way! He’s shown us how to please and honor God by giving us an up-close and personal demonstration of the way to live, walk in truth, and walk in God’s love.

What happens when we walk in fear rather than love
God has made us in His image. He created everything that we see, and because He has given us His nature, we, too, have creative ability. We get to choose what we will create. Every day presents us with an opportunity to create through the choices we make. We can produce good things from faith or we can produce bad things from fear. The choice is completely ours. One of the reasons that we see so much negativity in our world is because many people are making choices out of fear. They’ve taken the gifts God has provided and chosen to use them for bad rather than using them for good. Another way of saying this is that some people are operating outside of God’s Will rather than operating within His Will.

The wisdom of Proverbs 19:21(NLT) tells us, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.” Heavenly Father’s Will goes forward no matter how we chose to operate in our everyday lives. It is not within our capability to impede or hinder His Will and Plan in any way. A crucial piece of information that must be in the forefront of our minds is that there is a realm that exists outside of God’s protection, blessings, and care. When we walk in fear and make choices and decisions to operate outside of His Will and Plan, we enter this realm. Again, God’s Will and Plan moves upward and forward, operating outside of it will cause us to regress and go backward.

Heavenly Father doesn’t want anyone to miss out on the glorious future He has planned for them. But we need to know that we cannot straddle the fence. Either we are walking in love or walking in fear. Jesus Christ told us in Matthew 6:24 that we can’t serve two masters; we’ll love one and hate the other. This is why throughout His Word, God reminds us to focus on who we are, whose we are, and what we’re supposed to be doing down here on earth. This is the way to get the most out of life, and it is by walking in His love.

He hasn’t kept us in the dark about His Plans. He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11(NLT), “I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” God’s Plans are good through and through. Everything God does is on a forward and upward trajectory. The language of love is the word of faith. The way that you and I demonstrate our love for Heavenly Father is by believing in Him and what He says. He tells us His plan is good, and the only reason why a person wouldn’t want something good is because they fear it is too good to be true. This fear takes us out of love’s way. 1John 4:18(NIV) says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

Love beyond our comfort zones
Jesus Christ taught us to walk in love by the example he left for us in God’s Word. In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5, he instructed the disciples how to meet the standard. He said, “If you’re sued in court for your shirt, give them your coat too. If you’re in the army and required to carry your superior’s gear for a mile, carry it two miles. If someone asks for help, don’t turn away; help them!” He taught us that the love of God is demonstrated by what we do day to day. It’s more than words, much more. In Matthew 5:46-47, he tells us that there’s no reward in loving only those who love us. If we’re only kind to our friends, we’re behaving no better than those who don’t know Heavenly Father at all.

God’s love comes from Him through Christ, and it is in our hearts. Let’s pray to recognize opportunities that will take us beyond our comfort zones, because that’s how we demonstrate outwardly the reality of Christ that abides within us. Love is Heavenly Father’s nature, and when we take it on, we will act as His true children, but if we get caught up in arrogance and doing our own thing without seeking God, Proverbs 14:22 tells us we will be lost. Being motivated out of a heart full of His love and doing the good things that God planned for us keeps us in His Will. We’ll receive unfailing love and faithfulness when we do this, and God promises that all things will work together for our good when we continue to walk in His love.■

4TheChristianMan

Christian encouragement and inspiration for men

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