Genuine Love, pt. 8

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

2 Peter 1:5-7 (ESV)

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:12-14 (ESV)

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8 (ESV)

At first glance, these verses seem out of place for this series. However, I would say (and hope to express) that these verses are at the heart of any application that we can take away from all of the other verses in this series.

These verses call us to supplement and put on love with all other Christian traits. However, we are not merely putting on love along with these traits. Love binds them all together. Without love, what is the motivation of godliness, forgiving each other, patience, etc.?

It is out of love that we:

-cherish for others the very same love that we bear toward ourselves.
-in our dealings with others we never show selfishness, irritability, peevishness, or indifference.
-take a genuine interest in their welfare and seek to promote their interests, honor, and well-being. (Read this point again: Do you seek to promote others?)
-never regard them with a feeling of prideful superiority, nor do we ever talk about their failings.
-never resent any wrongs they do to us, but instead are always ready to forgive.
-always treat others as we would have them treat us.
-are always patient and kind, never envious or boastful, never proud or rude, never self-seeking. We are not easily angered and we keep no record, even in our mind, of wrongs done to us.

(see: The Gospel for Real Life - Jerry Bridges, p. 27-28)

Finally, remember CARE. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are supposed to care for one another, to have genuine love for each other. What does care look like? Remember CARE.

Challenge
Admonish
Regard
Encourage

Challenge each other in areas in order to live lives worthy of the Gospel.
Admonish, to warn in a gentle or earnest manner, each other; correct one another.
Regard each other. Have brotherly or sisterly affection toward one another.
Encourage each other. Point out evidences of God's grace and work in each other's lives.


I am not capable of properly or adequately loving any of you reading this. If anything is shown to the contrary, then it is all by God's grace and to Him be all the glory. Please, keep me accountable to being a proper brother to you my brothers and sisters in Christ. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series, especially for my own sake. I have been convicted time and time again. God has shown me the sinful desires of my heart. The core selfishness and pride that make it up. Yet, I do not despair. God is gracious. He extends grace that I do not deserve, and He loves me with a holy love, a perfect love, and a love that is free of wrath because Jesus Christ paid for my sins with the greatest display of genuine love!

If you have any questions, feel free to talk to me in person or email me. Also, please listen to these following messages and seek to apply them:

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ - John Piper
Courtship, Shmourtship - Joshua Harris

Genuine love will be addressed again in a later series: Brother/Sister Relationships

Genuine Love, pt. 7

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.

Philippians 2:3-8 (ESV)

Before this Genuine Love series draws to an end with one final post on application, I want to cover what I call "The Mottos" of genuine love.

1. Genuine love in our spirit makes our motives.
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit. We should never be motivated to act based on rivalry or conceit but rather out of love, genuine love. No matter the action, we should do it with a heart of genuine love. Also, we must make sure to never disguise actions as though we are doing them to serve one another but are really being motivated out of rivalry or conceit. Those are selfish motivations.

2. Genuine love in our spirit drives our actions.
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. Only out of humility can we act out genuine love. What are these actions? They are any action rooted in counting others more significant than yourself and rooted in looking not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others -- laying down your life.

3. Genuine love in our spirit is based on the Standard.
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. We must have this mindset of genuine love because Christ, though He was equal with God, did not hold on to the position He had (being with God) and displayed perfect humility and genuine love by lowering Himself (taking the form of a servant) and dying on a cross for our sins. Think on that.

Christ was with God, yet he did not view that a thing to keep. Why? Obedience to the Father that Christ would redeem us with His death. Think of a high king stepping down from his throne in order to be a peasant. Why would/should he? How much more awesome when it's a High King becoming our sin. WHY!? Christ had equality with God, yet laid down his life for us. Therefore, whatever we have equality with (money, free time, etc.) we should be willing to lay down for each other, considering ourselves least of all.

Latest Update

I just wanted to call your attention to some changes. In the sidebar, a new blog is linked under Blogs. It is Confessions of a Reformed Baptist by Dave McCarthy. YES! My life has waited for this moment! Dave is so very full of wisdom and knowledge. His blog will be excellent I just know it. Also, there are now links to the Genuine Love Series posts under Genuine Love Series for those who have not read them all.

Finally, the music will be totally changed out for all new songs in a short period of time. Any requests?

The Image of Death

Note: I am the one wearing the mask in the blue sweatshirt.

I may not be able to jump very high, but that doesn't mean I can't strike fear into the hearts of people. Gentle Squatty? HAH! Little babes wept at the sight of my ferocious killing nature. The elderly trembled before my presence of death. Everyone else is chit-chatting while I, the mad beast, am sporting a look of terror. Be afraid...be very afraid!

Now, where do I get the ability to aim and talent to go with my look?

A Walk in the Rain

How often do you see people running to get out of the rain? A walk in the rain can be so sobering (and I don't mean when you are drunk). Humans flee the elements. Most of that I understand, but rain (unless it's a flood of course)? Now, I am a person who hates wearing wet clothes, especially wet socks. I mean I HATE it.

Yet, now and again I will just stroll through the rain letting myself slowly become drenched in it. The best time is when you have an umbrella or rain jacket and you forgo using it and carry it while getting wet. Do I deserve to be kept dry?

Rain excites the senses. It makes the body scream, "I am alive!" and not dead as I deserve. As I walk, I will often look up and watch the rain fall to the ground. Rain is so fascinating. Look up the science behind it some time. Rain is gentle yet can be firm and beat against you. Rain exposes our failure to depend on ourselves. (If you don't think so, how often has rain changed your plan?) Rain can start up slowly and stay all day, or it can start up in a hurry and leave in a flash.

These days, we want to exclude ourselves from nature. We can set our own temperatures (with A/C or heating), stay dry in the rain, keep warm in the snow, unburned in the sunlight. Now, I am not saying that we get rid of these things that make life easier on us. But, we should not totally remove ourselves from the wonderful changes and power of nature.

If you have never done so, I encourage you to take a slow, long walk in a good gentle rain some time. Soak it in, and think about these things.

1. I do not deserve to be kept dry. Is it pride that drives me to stay dry?
2. God is masterful and nature is beautiful.
3. Rain can be gentle and powerful, creating small puddles or mighty rivers.
4. If the creation is so wonderful, marvelous, and beautiful, how much more so is the Creator?

For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew 5:45 (ESV)

Manspeak

That's right, the Manspeak blog is officially up and running. Whether ye be lad or las, stroll on over and peruse the site.

Manspeak


Editor's note:
Fear not faithful SW readers, Squatty Wisdom will still be as active as ever (as if that really means anything).

The Most Relaxing Music in the Universe

If you are like me and enjoy really good music (especially to relax to), then you are going to love this!

I bring you: The Most Relaxing Series

This collection of music is greater than great! No matter what type of music you like, this collection is for you!
Just check it out. Plus, the CD's are cheap.

Genuine Love, pt. 6

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 (ESV)

In other words, for this is how God loved the world, that he gave his only Son.... How much does God love us? He loves us so much that He would freely give his Son to die for our sins so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, as our sins deserve, but have eternal life!

Let us look at the free nature of this gift.

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:15-17 (ESV)

Paul refers to life in Christ as "the free gift" five times. Not just a gift, a free gift. Paul could have referenced "the free gift" once and just as "the gift" from then on. Yet, he words it as "the free gift" in every instance. Important? I think so.

Now (being saved), when we were dead in our sins, we were spiritually bankrupt. We were in "debt" and could in no way begin to "pay" any of that "debt". Jesus Christ completely "paid" our "debt" with His life. So, by faith, the "debt" to God that our sin created is completely "paid." Yet, we could be newly in "debt" to Christ for "paying" for our sins. (Like owing a bank for a loan that paid for debt because of school tuition). In essence, replacing one form of debt with a new form of debt. God would have been right to make us no longer in debt to sin but in debt to Christ's life. However, we are not (and cannot be) in debt to a free gift!

How is this true?
Well, Paul says, "those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." Those who are in debt do not reign, over anything.

So, how can debtors reign?
They can't, debt must be removed. Therefore, we reign in (or because of) whatever took our debt away. Paul says that we reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. As stated earlier, life through the one man Jesus Christ is the free gift. This means that we reign in the free gift. Since we could not pay our own debt, we cannot reign in (or because of) ourselves. Therefore, all is in Christ.

Not only did God show us genuine love by giving His only Son to die for a sinful, rebellious race but also by giving His Son freely.

Genuine Love, pt. 5

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.

John 15:13 (ESV)

Here we find ourselves once again at the notion that genuine love means laying down our life, not for ourselves but for others. In part 3 of this series, we looked at 1 John 3:16. That verse showed us where our knowledge of love and our ability to love come from, the fact that Jesus laid down His life for us and by that we now know love.

Laying down our lives does not necessarily result in laying down our lives unto death, but that might be the result of laying it down. For what purpose are we laying down our lives? The gospel of Jesus Christ, whether that means sharing it or making sure others live lives worthy of it.

What does it look like to lay down a life?

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Luke 9:23-26 (ESV)

Laying down our lives for our friends means that we:

1. Deny ourselves.
2. Take up our cross and follow Jesus.
3. Die to the world and not pursue any of its wealth (not just money).
4. Are not ashamed of the gospel.

No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.

Luke 9:62 (ESV)

Like Paul in Philippians 3, we must strain and press on towards the goal. We must press on by dying to ourselves and laying down our lives for the gospel. If we do this (seek the gospel and its futherance) for the sake of others, we cannot have a greater (or more genuine) love for them.