The greatest thing is love

‘Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.’  Jude 1:21

Pretty straightforward text, but let’s ‘say it different’ anyway.

‘Watch out that you maintain your walk with God. This means both in your interaction with Him, and also with everyone else you meet. 

Always live with the awareness that Christ is returning soon to bring this age to an end. You will then be looking forward to the mercy of God that lifted you out of this world and promised you eternal life. This world is not your home, but the amazing beauty and excitement of heaven is your destiny. If you do this, then you will live in the love of God, and that love will flow out of you like a river of blessing.’

There you are. I just took a simple sentence, and hope that I made it a bit more understandable, although through quite a few more words!!

Jesus said, ‘By this shall all people know that you are my disciples (my true followers), by the evidence that you love one another.’ (John 13:35)

The Book of Romans tells us that the Holy Ghost pours into our hearts the love of God, which in turn, pours out of our lives like springs of life-giving water. It is a supernatural love that does not come from our own disposition, but from heaven itself.  (Romans 5:5)

This love is beyond our love. It reaches further, covers the faults of others, forgives those who offend us, and seeks to help the fallen and broken. It is peace-making, merciful, kind beyond expectation, and has the aura of God all over it. It is the same love that took Christ to Calvary to shed his blood for us unworthy sinners. It is the essence of our new nature since we met Christ.

Such love within us seeks always to do those things that please the Lord, and this is reflected in all of our manners and behaviour as we meet with others. So the text heading this message tells us to be diligent to keep ourselves in that love. This means that we must work at it sometimes, especially when our natural response is judgmental, criticizing, and self-concerned.

We might say that one practical aspect of this is to make sure we read the Bible and take in its teachings, and then spend time with God every day. God's word has a transforming effect in our lives that we sometimes do not even realize.

Learning to walk with God throughout the hours of each day is to know what it means to be in fellowship with him. This is the place of real power and assurance. This is the place of victory and knowledge.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus;

Look full in his wonderful face;

And all the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of his glory and grace.

I have no time for the pretentious, discriminating, and biased ‘love’ that shows itself so often when someone turns up who does not fit into everyone else's ‘social circle’ for whatever reason, or maybe they are a bit too serious about the ‘God’ thing. Maybe they just do not dress well, or their faces don’t quite fit in. I have seen it all ten thousand times and more among church-goers.

If the unconverted can be really kind, forgiving, loving, caring, merciful, and generous, (and they most certainly can be), then HOW MUCH MORE should we be who claim to know Christ Jesus?

'The greatest of these is charity (love).'  (1Corinthians 13:13)

Pilgrim Warrior