When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. Romans 13:8–10 (MSG) If you’ve given your life to Jesus Christ, you are born again. Jesus lives inside you. But this Christian life will be hard if you do not develop your love walk, because you’ll be trying to obey God out of law instead of love. When you try to obey God out of law, you’ll tend to look for where the line is so you can stay just under it. “What can and can’t I do?” you’ll ask. “Is it bad to swear? What about the odd white lie?” You’ll be focused on figuring out all the rules. People who love don’t need a whole bunch of rules. Because …
Just to See Him Smile
In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3 (NIV) When you love someone, you want to make them smile. Years ago parents used to arrange marriages for their kids. In an arranged marriage, families would choose a spouse for their child to the best of their ability. Of course, at rst the couple wouldn’t be in love, but the idea was they would develop love for each other. If they developed love, that marriage would thrive. Without love, it was hard. You see, a loveless marriage becomes centred on roles and rules rather than relationship, which takes all the joy and passion out of it. The same is true of your relationship with …
Grow in your Love Walk
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 (NKJV) We all want to grow and mature in God. But do you ever wonder how? There are plenty of measures of spiritual maturity out there, but I’d like to simplify it with one statement: Grow in your love walk. If there’s one thing I’d like to see in my life and in yours, it’s to develop and grow in love. As Christians, this love walk is a choice. It doesn’t happen automatically just because you’ve given your life to Christ. Love for God is rarely like love at first sight. It’s a love you develop. You …
Set Your Mind!
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5 (NKJV) Why do Christians live according to their fleshly, selfish desires, even though they’ve been made new in Christ? According to today’s verse, it’s because they set their minds on the flesh. But the good news is we can live according to the Spirit by setting our minds on the things of the Spirit! What does this mean in the context of everyday life? Well, in every situation you can choose your focus. No matter what you’re facing, you can choose to set your mind on God’s Word, His promises, His presence, and …
The Old Nature is Gone
And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24 (NKJV) If you’ve given your life to Christ, you are a new creation. However, this Christian life is a faith life. You need to believe you’re a new creation to experience all the benefits of being one. Over the past few days we’ve been talking about truths we all need to discover in God’s Word to walk out this new creation life. Specifically, we need to understand that God’s power is in us, Christ is in us, and God works through us. Today, let’s cover one more truth to understand. You need to see that your old nature is gone, along with its inability to overcome old passions and …