Love: Displayed Through Service

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." - 1 John 2:15-17

As we see in this verse, not all love is good. We also know this because of what Jesus spoke about in Matthew 6... "...for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also... ...No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
- Matthew 6:21, 24
John tells us that we cannot love the world and also have the love of God in us. The things of this world have such a perverted view of love that it is not possible for them to coincide with God's view of love. "The lust of the flesh" that he speaks of are not something we should long after, but rather we should find our fulfillment in God. This is easier said than done, and I hope to address this issue at a later date. For now, let's stick to the issue at hand...
In Matthew, Jesus said that where our treasure is there our heart will be also. This verse would be better translated to say, "there your hearts affections will be also..." This makes absolute sense when you consider that whatever your "treasure" might be, that is what all of your strength, time and resources are going to be put into. If I spend all of my time chasing after money... where are my hearts affections? Are they focused on God? Or am I forgetting what He has promised us, "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more htan food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather in to barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" - Matt. 6:25-26
I can testify to the Father's provision in my life, but that is a different story for a different time. For now let us remember that love must be focused correctly in order to be true love. Otherwise it is just lust, which doesn't develop very good fruit...

"We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the bretheren. But whoever has the world's goods, and seet his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and in truth." - 1 John 3:16-18
I once heard the most fantastic sermon about laying down your life... It's amazing how often this statement is misunderstood to mean dying for someone else, but rather it is the denial of self and the serving of other with your time and resources. Another well-known verse about laying down your life is found in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." The word "life" in this verse would be better translated "very existence." To not serve yourself, but to understand that love means serving others and putting them ahead of your own desires. Looking one verse before 13 it says, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." Christ put the need of the whole world, for salvation, before His own life or comfort... How much more are we called to give up those small comforts that we claim as rights to be had! Oh that we could grasp the concept of true love!

So today's study is the service of love. Love gives of itself with no expectation of anything in return. To truly develop the fruit of love in our lives, we must first be able to give freely of ourselves and our time. If you live in the United States, today, in 21st century America, then you are among the richest people in the history of this planet. What do I mean? You wake up in a bed, inside of a house, and get up to eat your first of at least three meals for the day... You turned on your computer, using the electricity which has been wired to your house, and got onto the internet... the first two things alone would be considered a stately wealth in third world countries, but the fact that you are reading this blog means that you have access to a computer with internet, which puts you even further ahead of some people... and yet... this is considered a standard for the American family.
How freely do you use these blessings, that God has given you, to bless others? Or do we just go on, serving ourselves, and not considering the needs of others. James said, "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." - James 1:27 Do you think that he means to just "visit" orphans and widows? I don't think so! We are to look after those who are in need and to bless them with the abundance with which God has blessed us. I promise you, when you give of yourself and of your time, especially, you will actually find more purpose and joy in life than if you just live for your own wants. Jesus spoke about "the least of these" and how when we serve them we are serving Him... what better way to show our love to our Father than by obeying His commands and loving those who need it the most?

I encourage you to examine yourselves... How easily do you give to others? Do you find it to be a burden? Do you love the things of this world more than you love God and His commands, or more than you love others? In light of what we've read in 1 John, consider some ways to develop this type of love in your life... "... let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." Show your love by the way that you choose to spend your time. Again, "...for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also..."

Developing this love in your life is crucial to understanding and modeling the love of Christ.
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2

Friends, let us run this race with endurance, and let us finish with the knowledge that we ran it to the best of our abilities. Let's strive for the growth of fruit in our lives, so that we may then know how to run in spirit and in truth. Amen

Grace and Peace...