Christ’s love for me is a giving love. It is a sacrificing and selfless love. It is a love that shows itself in action.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus loves us, not because we are attractive or share some interest with Him, but simply because He loves us. So, He made the ultimate sacrifice, giving us everything – all His glory, His life – to serve us.

The Greek word for this sacrificial love is agape. I like this definition of agape love:

“Unconditional love that is always giving and impossible to take or be a taker. It devotes total commitment to seek your highest best no matter how anyone may respond. This form of love is totally selfless and does not change whether the love given is returned or not.”

Jesus doesn’t expect anything in return. He loves me when I speak to Him daily, spend time in His Word and help an elderly person cross the street. But, He also loves me when I respond with a harsh tone to my kids, yell at the person who cut me off and don’t feel like going to church on Sunday morning. His love is unconditional and is there even when I screw up.

Unfortunately, we live with a “Keeping Score” mentality in our marriage every day.
“I did the dishes, so you should bathe the kids.”
“You got to go out with your friends last weekend, so tonight is my turn.”
“Since you bought that outfit, I went ahead and got the tickets to the game.”

Sacrificial, unconditional, agape love doesn’t keep score. It doesn’t matter how your spouse responds; if you want to love like Jesus loves, you have to put yourself aside. In a sermon entitled “What is Christian Marriage,” Coty Pinckney said, “Agape is a love that gives, a love that does not demand or hold onto rights, but has the good of the other at heart. This is the love we need to work on in our marriage in order for our spouse to feel like he or she is married to Jesus.”                                                 (MATTHEW J. WHITE)

The answer to solving injustice and poverty is for us to mend our relationship with God. The only way we can mend our relationship with God is through faith in the Gospel  message. The Gospel tells us that God provided a means for our relationship with Him to be made right through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. When we believe that Jesus is our Savior, who paid the price for our sins in His once for all sacrifice, our relationship with God is mended, and we receive a new heart. A heart that abhors injustice and poverty. A heart that does not desire to assert its own selfish desire for success and power over others. If one truly follows the commands of Scripture as put forth in Philippians 2:3-11, injustice and poverty will be eradicated.

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ”  (Philippians 2:3-11)

Here is the catch though, men are not going to serve others, counting others more important than themselves and take up the self-sacrificial attitude and actions of Jesus, unless their hearts are changed and sin no longer has dominion over them. Imposing a system or ideology on society without any regard for the corrupting effects of sin will always lead to failure, but exposing a man’s heart to the Gospel will lead him to be humble and self-sacrificial, even to the point of death.

So then, the answer to solving the world’s problems of injustice and poverty should not begin with an argument for Communism or Free Market Capitalism because both systems, to their detriment, neglect the corrupting affects of original sin; rather, it should begin with the proclamation of the Gospel. For the Gospel alone is the only thing that can deal with the real problem behind injustice and poverty, which is the problem of sin – “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23)
.                                                                                                 (CASEY LEWIS)

It is interesting that Paul puts these two things in contrast, one against the other. Don’t get drunk with wine, he says. This recognizes there are things in life that tend to drive you to drink. There are pressures in life, there are demands made upon you so severe that you will feel the need of some stimulation, something that will undergird you a bit, give you some confidence and add help and strength. But don’t let it be wine or any other artificial stimulant, because, he says, the trouble with that is, it so easily leads to lack of control. The word here translated debauchery is the Greek word that means without any limits, with reckless abandonment. It refers to escapism and the tendency to throw all restraints overboard and live without control.

But in contrast to that he says to satisfy that need for something to stimulate and strengthen you by being filled with the Spirit, for that is God’s provision for this need in human life. There is no need to feel ashamed over the sense of need. We were not made to be self-sufficient, independent creatures. Because you feel like you need something to help you, to strengthen you, to make you feel adequate to face life, do not be troubled by that. You do need something. But let it be the right thing. Be filled with the Spirit.

Here he touches the great secret of real Christianity, the possibility of being filled with the Spirit. When you became a Christian, when you believed in Jesus Christ and received Him as your Lord, the Holy Spirit came to live in you. You have the Spirit, but the interesting paradox is that, though all Christians have the Holy Spirit, we constantly need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The filling of the Holy Spirit is the momentary taking from Him of the resources you need for the situation in which you are. It has nothing to do with an experience or a feeling or a crisis; it is a quiet drinking again and again of an inner supply of strength.

This is a truth that many Christians seem to miss. They think that Christianity means coming to church, getting a blessing, and then going away to try to live in the light and warmth of the blessing until it leaks away, and then they must come back and get filled up again. But that is not Christianity. When Jesus said of the person who drinks of Him, “Out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water”, John says, “By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive” (John 7:39a). That is the strengthening that comes from within, and there is plenty there for any situation.

How do we react to the severe demands and pressures of life? Are we learning to acknowledge the Spirit of Christ within, and to be overflowing with His Presence?                                                                  (RAY STEDMAN)

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

This verse speaks to each of us individually, calling us to kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. Yet, we must remember that this verse is not addressed to a single individual, but rather to a community, to the members of the body of Christ, to brothers and sisters in the family of God. You can see this corporate context in the phrases “to one another” and “each other.” Ephesians 4:32 envisions, not just a bunch of separate Christians who forgive, but also a community of forgiveness.

Wherever the people of God gather as the church, that fellowship should be characterized by forgiveness. This doesn’t mean minimizing sin. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Forgiveness is needed only when a wrong has been done. So, a community of forgiveness isn’t the same as a “make nice” fellowship that overlooks wrongdoing so as to “live and let live.” Rather, in a forgiving community, sin is taken seriously as a precursor to true forgiveness and reconciliation.

Yet, a forgiving community doesn’t focus on sin as an opportunity to judge, to condemn, or to ostracize those who have done wrong. A forgiving community doesn’t reward the proud who see themselves as less in need of forgiveness than others. Instead, a forgiving community is one in which all members are aware of their failures, in which all realize that they are lost apart from God’s grace, and in which all who have been forgiven by God extend that forgiveness to others who have wronged them.

Ephesians 4:32 holds up to us a vision of a forgiving community, where people fail as people always do, and where failure is not dismissed, but where failure is always a prelude to forgiveness.

As we seek to live out the biblical vision of a forgiving community, you and I have the opportunity to shape, not only our churches, but also our other communities. In our marriages and families, in our neighborhoods and friendships, in our workplaces and cities, we can choose to forgive as God has forgiven us in Christ, thus creating in miniature what God intends for all of his people.

Have you ever been part of a forgiving community? When? What did you experience? How might you help the communities of which you are a member become more forgiving? What could you do in your family, workplace, classroom, and church so as to live out the vision of Ephesians 4:32?                                                                                        (MARK ROBERTS)

Transformation    (change)    does    not   happen
by addition. Adding wings to a caterpillar will not make it a butterfly. Adding a good habit will not cancel out a bad one.

During metamorphosis, the caterpillar sheds part of itself before it can become a butterfly. The old has got to go before you can be transformed by the new.

It’s difficult to change. Even if our habits are bad, we are comfortable. It’s like the toddler who doesn’t want her diaper changed. It may be soiled, but it’s warm and it’s hers!

And, for one more example, you have to empty your garage  before you can fill it with something else.

The Bible has plenty to say about transformation. See what Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
—Ephesians 4:22-24 (emphasis added)

I like the words Paul uses. I imagine taking off layers of dirty clothing so I can then put on new, fresh, clean clothes.

Paul is one to talk about change. His own life transformed dramatically when God got his attention in a  powerful way  and  he  immediately  repented  (turned
around). He was so different that his name was changed from Saul to Paul.

You know you want to change. You want to quit your bad habit.

But you don’t want to put off your old self first. And without doing that, you will never be able to put on the new self.

Why is it so hard to put off your old self?               (W. ALBERT JAMESON IV)

“We know what love is because Jesus gave His life for us.

That’s why we must give our lives for each other.”

(1 John 3:16, NEW CENTURY VERSION)

 William Gladstone (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the reign of Queen Victoria), in announcing the death of Princess Alice (Victoria’s second daughter) to the House of Commons, told a touching story. The little son of the Princess was seriously ill with diphtheria. The doctors told the princess not to kiss her little son and endanger her

life by breathing the child’s breath. Once when the child was struggling to breathe, the mother, forgetting herself entirely, took the little one into her arms to keep him from choking to death. Rasping and struggling for his life, the child said, “Momma, kiss me!” Without thinking of herself the mother tenderly kissed her son. She got diphtheria and some days thereafter she went to be forever with the Lord.

Real love forgets self. Real love knows no danger. Real love doesn’t count the cost. The Bible says, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.”

 “I’m [Jesus] telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with

 the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true

selves, your God-created selves”

(Matthew 5:44. THE MESSAGE)

During the American Revolution, there was a Baptist pastor named Peter Miller, who lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington. In Ephrata also lived Michael Widman, an evil-minded sort   who  did  all  he  could   to  oppose  and

humiliate the pastor. One day Michael Widman was arrested for treason and sentenced to die. Peter Miller travelled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for the life of the traitor.

“No, Peter,” General Washington said. “I cannot grant you the life of your friend.”

“My friend!” exclaimed the old preacher. “He’s the bitterest enemy I have.”

“What?” cried Washington. “You’ve walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in different light. I’ll grant your pardon.” Washington granted Widman pardon and, with tears in his eyes, in front of his men, he thanked Peter Miller for the lesson in forgiveness and love. Peter Miller took Michael Widman back home to Ephrata–no longer an enemy but a friend.

Fruit is what the Father is looking for. It represents that  which God  would like to  produce  through  me.
Broadly speaking, there are three areas where God expects fruitfulness in your life and mine:

1. Christian Character: The Lord desires to see Christ’s character formed in us, that we should be “conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Romans 8:29). This means that the Father would like to see in us true humility and happy submission to His will, a genuine love and interest in others, as well as patience, flexibility, holiness in thought and actions, and self-control. What a challenge! Is our character becoming more like that of Jesus? The apostle Paul refers to these as “the fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22,23). If the Spirit of God is not free to move within us, we cannot produce this character fruit. Furthermore, unless our Christian character is growing, it becomes impossible to produce the other two types of fruit.

2. Worship & Praise: Through worship and praise we thank God for who He is and what He has done, is doing, and will do. Some call this the highest type of fruit we humans can produce: “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23). “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess His name” (Hebrews 13:15). Are you a thankful Christian? Do you regularly worship and praise your Lord?

3. Service or Good Works: Concerning service and good works, Paul urges us to “not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people” (Galatians 6:9-10). He prayed for the Colossians, that they would be “bearing fruit in every good work” (Colossians 1:10). He made an even stronger statement in Ephesians: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (2:10). We have been redeemed in order to serve Him. Our God now prepares good works for us to do. Are we looking for them? Do we happily engage in them?

Apart from Christ we cannot produce anything pleasing to the Father. If I am not living in communion with Christ, my worship is empty and my praise hypocritical. If I am not walking with Christ, my service in the church and personal sacrifices are just acts of my flesh. God the Father is not impressed. He finds no fruit in my efforts.

Life is too short and too precious to spend it producing twigs and leaves! A life in communion with Christ is indispensable to yield the fruit the Father expects from us: a growing Christian character, true worship and thankful praise, good works and sacrificial service. Whether we produce “fruit,” “more fruit,” or “much fruit” depends on our response.                     (PHILIP NUNN)

Is there anyone who hasn’t spent at least a little time contemplating if we are living in the last days? Most of the apostles surely did. Many new believers in the first century certainly  did.  Sometimes it seems  as if we  are obsessed
with the end times and what may come. What if there is famine? What if there is a problem with our water supply? What if our government is subjugated to a world power? What if we can’t buy or sell without submitting to evil? What if Christians will be persecuted, tortured, and killed? What if the stability that I have known in my life is gone in an instant? What if I become homeless? What if there is no electricity? What if there are no public utilities? What if food is scarce and controlled by evil men? What if? What if? What if?

There is this repeated theme of I am in you and you are in Me in John’s Gospel. We should not be surprised to find it again in John’s letters. But this time, we get a reminder that the Spirit of God that lives within us is greater than any spirit we will encounter in the world.

We are equipped with the Spirit of Truth and can denounce the spirit of error. But too many Christians live as if the Spirit within us is not adequately matched for the things that we encounter in the world—in life. We are sometimes timid. We sometimes do care what the world thinks about us. To whom do we listen? There are still false prophets today. And the people who belong to the world listen to them. But we belong to God. So what do we believe? Being a Christian these days is a tough, nearly impossible road to travel… Or… He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

That’s the question that we answer with our lives. Are we afraid to profess our faith before another? Are we afraid to bring the full tithe? Are we afraid to minister—truly get involved in the lives of those whom Jesus called the least of these my brothers? Can God really handle what this world will throw at me? Or do we know for sure that He who lives in us is indeed greater than he who is in the world?

How do we know? When we struggle, we don’t despair. Easter was the death of despair. When we pray, we know that Jesus knows what it is to be human and we trust His intercession as He asks God the Father for what we really need. We know that our hope is always in the Lord. We know because we rejoice in the day the Lord has made. That’s even if your old bones are hurting and the coffee is cold. That’s even if school is just really not where you want to be today. We live as fully as we can, even when that fullness includes suffering, and pain, and ridicule for we know that we belong to God and not to the world. And we live without fear of anyone or anything being greater than the One who lives in us. For He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Now let’s translate this into a first person statement. He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world.                (THOMAS SPENCE)