WALK IN LOVE
As we go through each day we should be wearing our hearts on our
sleeves for all to see.
The love of God and for our fellow man should be shinning through us.
They say your eyes are the widow to our souls.
When someone looks into a Christians eyes they should see Jesus and
the love for mankind.
People are searching for love, always have been from the beginning.
So let the love shine through you.
Ephesians 5:1 says; Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
Brothers and sisters we are Gods children.
God loved us when we were his enemy.
Therefore we need to follow His ways and love one another.
As believers we should show others by imitating God's way whether
friend or enemies love them as God loves us.
Demonstrate the self-sacrifical love God has given us.
Luke 6:36 says; Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is
merciful.
We have all done things that someone has shown us mercy.
God has always shown us mercy.
I'm sure you can remember someone, a man, that has shown you
mercy when you have hurt them.
We should do the same.
Look for what is good in that person.
If you look you will find something good in all mankind.
1 Peter 1:14-16 says; as obediant children, not conforming your-
selves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who
called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because
it is written, "Be holy for I am holy."
This verse is telling us that we need to live like God.
By doing that we will be ready to show the lost souls mercy even
though they're our enemy.
To forgive them even when they don't ask for forgiveness.
Ephesians 5:2 says; And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and
given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet
smelling aroma.
Christians we need to keep in the word.
The more word we have in us we will be able to be like Christ Jesus.
We have to give of ourselves from our hearts.
As we are blessed from above we should bless those who are in need.
This all comes from our hearts that are filled with God's love.
If you don't give from your heart people will see right through it.
They wil see it as charity and no one likes charity.
If you give from your heart they will see it as a gift of love.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 says; But concerning brotherly love you have no
need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by
God to love one another.
When you think about it love is the one thing that we all are in need
of.
Before you and I became a Christian we looked for love in all the
wrong places.
When we were called unto the Lord and saw what a pure, sweet, and
holy love is like our hearts connected to God.
To become all that God wants us to be we have to get ther love right.
To love one another as God loves us.
We share with others what God gives us and then God fills us up
again.
Galatians 1:4 says; who gave Himself for our sins, that He might
deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our
God and Father.
Jesus truly loves us.
He died for our sins so anyone who believes Jesus is God's only begot-
ten Son may have ever lasting life.
Gods love for us is the purest love we will ever know.
2 Corinthians 2:14-15 says; (as also you have understood us in part),
that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the
Lord Jesus. And in this confidence I entended to come to you
before, that you might have a second benefit-
Paul walked in the Love of Christ Jesus.
With each church he started up he truly loved them.
Paul was proud of the way they had grown and boasted about them
to encourage them to continue to grow in the Lord.
Much like we do our children.
We boast on them when they are walking in Christ.
We try to encourage them to continue to keep walking in the Lord and
growing so they will be strong in the Lord.
The Colossians had a love for Paul also.
They sometimes were disappointed when Paul didn't come when he
said he would they truly loved him for what he had done for them
by leading them to Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 5:3 says; But fornification and all uncleanness or covet-
ousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for
saints;
Paul had heard some disturbing things that had been going on.
So he wrote a warning to them to avoid the pitfalls of the world.
Today we are tempted with most of the same things.
The enemy tempts us with sexual immoralities.
Instead of telling our kid not to have sex before marriage we give
our boys condoms and put our girls on birthcontrol pills.
What kind of message are we sending our kids?
We should be teaching them abstinence.
Colossians 3:5-7 says; Therefore put to your members which are on
the earth: fornication, uncleanness, which is idolitry. Because of
these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of diso-
bedience, in which you yourself once walked when you lived in
them.
This too is a warning from Paul.
Pauls deep love for the Lord drove him to love all of mankind.
The churches were like his children so when he saw trouble coming he
would go to them or write them.
In love he would show them the error of their ways.
Paul didn't want to see any of them parrish.
He did all he could to bring them back to the Lord Christ Jesus.
As a parent I gave my son boundries that he had to stay within.
I did that because I loved him.
Pauls children were the churches and when he saw them getting out
of line he would tell them about it.
Luke 12:15 says; And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of
covetousness, for one's life doesn't consist in the abundance of
the things he possesses.
Jesus told the parable about the rich fool.
The rich love money and possessions and turned away the needy.
Jesus wanted them to see that possessions weren't important.
People were what were important.
To love God with all you heart, spirit, mind, and soul.
To love all of mankind as the Lord loves us.
To love even your enemies.
The problem being the love for money and possessions will send you to
hell for eternity.
Ephesians 5:4 says; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse
jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
Paul is telling them that their old ways will no longer do now that they
were God's children.
That they are to be giving thanks for all that God has done for them.
To love others as God loves them.
Matthew 12:34-35 says; Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil,
speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasures of his heart
brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasures
brings foth evil things.
Jesus is explaining what is in your hearts are what you will act like.
If Jesus is in your heart the fruits will be good and you will draw the
lost souls into the light.
You will love one another and have compassion for those who are
hurting.
To help those in need.
Titus 3:9 says; But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions,
and strivings about the law, for they are unprofitable and useless.
Paul is telling us to avoid anything that promotes wickedness.
Believers must beware of the pitfalls of the world.
Strife will bring forth anger, confussion, and wickedness.
To fill our hearts with only good things of the Lord.
Romans 1:28 says; And even as they did not like to retain God in
their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do
those things which are not fitting.
Paul is saying that because the people didn't want Gods knowledge,
God lowered their standards of living to one of the world, the dark
side.
We must keep our minds on the word and all good things according to
God.
To seek God's knowledge above anything the world has to offer us.
Philippians 4:6 says; Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God.
We, Christians, need to wait on Gods timing.
Our flesh is way too anxious, it whats everything yesterday.
This verse is telling us that we have to go to God with all of our re-
quests.
Don't count on man.
God knows what is good for us and what is not.
He also knows when we should have it.
So don't let your flesh be anxious instead get some of the word in you
and pray.
Ephesians 5:5 says; For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean
person,nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance
in the kingdom of Christ and God.
These are some of the things that are easy to get trapped in, so we
must guard against them.
Even Christians fall into some of these pitfalls.
Always put God first in your life.
Keep the word in you so you won't fall for the enemies tricks.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says;I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep
company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not
mean with the sexually immoral people of this world or with
covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need
to go out of the world.
Paul is expressing to us that if there is a Christian that is behaving
with the sins above that we should not associate with them.
But if they are lost souls we should go to them and tell them about
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Tell them about salvation through Jesus.
Ephesians 5:6 says; Let no one deceive you with empty words, for
because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of
disobedience.
So many of todays churches the pastors, shepherds, are deceiving
congregation, flock.
They only preach warm and fuzzy sermons.
This type of preaching is making God angry.
All of us are responsible to seek the truth in Gods Word.
Too many churches have conformed to the worlds standards on
homosexuality and abortion.
God will not continue to put up with this kind of teachings in the
church.
Ephesians 5:7 says; Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Paul is warning here that if you know such things are going on, and
you know the truth and you continue to support a pastor who is
deceiving the flock, you are also quilty as the pastor.
Folks, it is Gods way for all Christians.
If you can't follow Gods ways then you are following the enemy.
We only have two choices Gods way or Satans way.
I pray that you have chosen Gods way.
1 Timothy 5:22 says; Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share
in other peoples sins; keep yourself pure.
Here Timothy points out that a fallen leader should go before God to
be restored to the leadership position.
It is not our place to put them back into a leader position because
they might not be qualified for the position.
If you do you could be held accountable for their sin.
That is why he tells us to keep ourselves pure.
The scriptures I used to research this lesson are; Ephesians 5:1-6,
Acts 19:23-31, Luke 6:6, 12:15, 1 Peter 1:14-16, Galatians 1:4
1 Thessalonians 4:9, 2 Corinthians 2:14-15, Colossians 3:5-7,
Matthew 12:34-35, Titus 3:9, Romans 1:28, Philippians 4:6,
1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
I know that you are probably getting tired of me saying read these
scriptures but it is so important to get the word in us.
The enemy puts thoughts in our minds and if you don't have the word
in you it will be easy for him to deceive you.
Get into the word hungry for the truth.
God will give you revelation on the word.
My prayer is that who ever reads these words, the Lord gave me,
will be encouraged to learn more. That your hearts desire will be
to know the Lord more and your flesh won't dictate how you live.
The more I learn the more I feel the Lord growing in me. I pray
for the same awesome feeling growing in you.
God bless you and your family, may the Lord keep you close to Him.
PRAISE GOD THE FATHER, JESUS OUR SAVIOR, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
THAT LIVES WITHIN ALL CHRISTIANS.
