Words Of Encouragment To Start The Day ( Friday 10/23/08)

God Rules By Love, Not By Force, How Do You Rule? Part V

1 John 4:7-12 (Amplified Bible)
7) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him].
8) He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.
9) In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique [Son], into the world so that we might live through Him.
10) In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.
11Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another.
12) No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!

Recently at work there has been a lot of movement. People are being reallocated to other branches and the team that we once knew, is no more. As we parted today, it was a bitter ending to a day, long dreaded. We were saying good bye to people we had worked with during our tenure at our branch. There were tears flowing and thoughts of days gone by and how we had learned each other, and learned from each other in good and in bad times. But there was also talk of those who were leaving that sadness had alluded their exodus. It was because they did not rule well. The exhibited a force and a presence that would not be quickly missed. As some of the team mates expressed there was no love lost there.

What does the way we deal with those we claim to love and come in contact with say about whose we are and who we really are? How can we say we love God and exhibit everything contrary to who He is? Whether we believe it or not it says more about us then we would actually want people to believe. If God is love and we say we are His, should we not be exhibiting love as well, not just in terms of words, but in terms of how we live and how we treat them. If God is patient and kind, and suffers long, endures all things, believes all things, then is that not suppose to be our mantra as well. It is not the human spirit that should be driving us, but the Spirit of God. Our decisions to be who we are is driven by what is inside of us. If we are founded in God we will be founded and driven to do as God would have us to do, even when it hurts, we will be determined to be in God's will no matter the cost. But when we are driven in self, flesh and sin we are driven to preserve ourselves, our name and our wants and our will. Then it is evident that we are our own and none of God's. It says that we do not know Him, contrary to what we may think, say, or try to delude ourselves into thinking. You see, it is quite clear, God says that if we act in His love then we know Him, we abide in Him, but if we make the choice not to love as He would have us to, then we are not His and we don't know Him and we are not His. Our justification for our behaviors does not hold weight in the eyes of God if it is outside of the will and His obedience. Our rationalization for how we have treated people and the decisions we have made concerning people, are nothing but excuse that we are offering ourselves, others (and in some cases) even God for our choosing to be out of His love and will.

When those who know you look at you, and hear of your actions, behaviors and decisions, who do they say you belong to? Whose will would they say that you operate under? Can they see your obedience to God and do you operate in God's love even when it is tough to do? If the answer to these and other questions points to you rather than to God, you might want to take a moment and finally let God speak to you about your love walk, and what He requires of those who proclaim His name rather than their own!