OUR STANDARDS OF LOVE VS GOD'S

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                                               LOVE, GOODNESS, & TRUTH

INDEX:
-  PRESUMPTION REGARDING OUR LOVE AND GOODNESS
- SORTING OUT TRUE LOVE FROM NATURAL AFFECTION
- FACTS THAT GOD WANTS US TO BE AWARE OF REGARDING LOVE AND GOODNESS
- TRUTH AND GOD'S WORD
- A MISCONCEPTION CONCERNING HATE
- STEPPING OUT IN FAITH TO SHOW LOVE
- CONCLUSION

PRESUMPTION REGARDING OUR LOVE AND GOODNESS
  The truth regarding our self-acclaimed love and goodness we need to face in the light of God's Word. Without addressing the topic of sin, most of us maintain such a firm confidence in our love and motives that we have an underlying assurance in our own goodness. Consequently, we feel secure in our hopes of a good eternal destiny – heaven, even if we are not sure there is one, we doubtlessly ‘feel’ assured of entrance nonetheless. In the Bible, God gives us a fully comprehensive understanding from His perspective of what love is. In one of the most famous passages, 1 Corinthians 13, the Lord teaches us what love is, love isn’t, and what love does. Jesus Christ himself demonstrated this love by the life He lived, and His death. During His ministry on earth we can see His matchless love by the kindness he showed to people, and His perfect obedience to God the Father, the fruit being the sinless life He lived. “For this is love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 5:3, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15, In His death Jesus demonstrated His amazing love for us, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
 
SECURING OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS 
 Before we go any further, just to make sure that the most important point is ABSOLUTELY CLEAR – it is not our good works, earnest love, or anything else, that earns our way to heaven. Our sins have to be removed first!!! The only provision God has made and will accept for the payment, cleansing, and removal of sin, is the atoning blood sacrifice of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who paid for all our sins on the cross – and then He ROSE FROM THE DEAD IN COMPLETE VICTORY!!! Now, when you believe in Him and what He did, repent of your sins, and surrender your life to Him, then and only then are you ready for HEAVEN!
( Now, having established our righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ, we pursue a life of faith and love in the service of Christ and the love for God and our fellow man).
SORTING OUT TRUE LOVE FROM NATURAL AFFECTION 
 How does our love rate by comparison to God’s standard? We all have a functioning portion of GOD’s love since we have been created in His image and likeness, though we are currently bound in a broken/sinful condition.


  Because of the presence of evil, not only in the world, but also in us, our love is in constant danger or being misplaced and corrupted.


 The very nature of love produces a self-conceived certainty of innocence and justification, and yet we can be so wrong. One of the easiest examples of misplaced love and affections are the reasons some people have taken up arms to exterminate others, all out of love for those or that which we are serving.


 FACTS GOD WANTS US TO BE AWARE OF REGARDING LOVE AND GOODNESS:
 - "...and all our righteousness are as filthy rags." Isaiah 64:6 
 - "...there is none good, but one, God." Matthew 19:17
  - "Without Me (Jesus) you can do nothing." John 15:5


So the purpose of this exercise is not to build confidence in our efforts of love and goodness, but rather to trust in the workings of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ in us to produce the fruit that God our Heavenly Father is looking for in our lives through Him. One help is to recognize some of the characteristics of godly love.

 What is and is not Healthy love (by Biblical standards):
 
     -  Healthy Love is, and is not, all embracing
  Love desires to embrace, but by principle cannot embrace if what we
 embrace is harmful to the object of our love. What I mean is that we may love someone, but what they are doing is wrong. We must therefore separate the sin from the sinner in our hearts. A false love is flattered by its assumed goodness when it embraces and protects something that God says is wrong. In the book of Judges, when the men of Gibeah tried to rape a priest, but raped to death his wife instead, and the nation of Israel rose up against them to punish them, the rest of the tribe of Benjamin heroically rallied behind the men of Gibeah to protect them (Judges 19-21). The destruction that followed was horrific. Here they rallied to 'defend' their so called brothers in arms instead of confronting their wickedness. That was false brotherly love.

    -   Healthy Love has and is an opponent – whatever works against love and truth is an enemy, and the fiercest is the one that comes from
within us - selfishness - which must be constantly resisted!

    -  Healthy Love is based on truth and will embrace doing what is right before God! – Regardless of the affection shared between two parties. If their relation is what the Bible calls sinful or immoral, then their love is unhealthy and harmful, regardless of their feelings or anyone else's opinion, and how much love and affection they exchange between each other (this goes for all forms of adultery = adultery, fornication, incest, homosexuality...) True love will always want to do what is right in God's sight, because God is LOVE, and what He says is right is also best of everyone!!!


TRUTH AND GOD'S WORD – The Love that God desires is inseparable with truth. The Word of God identifies what is right and what is wrong, “…moreover by them is your servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:7-11. All that God calls sin is harmful and destructive, with consequences in this life and the one to come. So any acts of genuine love must not contradict God's truth.
  So love must work with Truth (“Thy Word is Truth.” John 17:17) in a whole- hearted attempt to do the best for the person(s) we profess to love. The love God desires is compatible to HIs Word/Truth and is therefore fluid on all levels – producing what is functionally and morally right in the sight of God (meaning not embracing sin), yet expressing His love, mercy, kindness, and help, in the roughest of situations in this life. What I mean is that this love in Christ opens the way for us to help people in their struggles, and open the way for Eternal Life which is by faith in Him.

 
A misconception regarding Hate - In the Bible, hate is not only described as an emotion, but also the refusal to do what is best for an individual that would contribute to their ultimate well-being. “He that spares his rod hates his son, but he that loves him chastens him betimes (diligently).” Proverbs 13:24. By our not doing what is best for someone, withholding what is needful for them, or by being careless or slack in our service to them, produces the same result as an enemy or someone that hates them. There is no difference, regardless of all our good intentions. Our emotions are not a thermometer of how much we love someone, but how much of a benefit we are to them especially on the *Eternal Plain.

*ETERNAL PLAIN – Referring to when we must stand before God and give an account for the life we have led.

When we know someone is doing or is involved in something that is harmful, or sinful in God’s sight, we are not acting in LOVE by sheltering it or not warning them. The guilt of their demise may thus be shared by us. Proverbs 24:11-12 

 STEPPING OUT IN FAITH TO SHOW LOVE

 - Not all love is good or beneficial outside the acts that are carried out in faith and obedience to Christ – God’s gift of love. What then do we do? Do we hold out on doing someone good because we are doubtful that it is of God. By no means. John Wesley said, "Do all the good you can, whenever you can, as long as you possibly ever can." "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that you affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."  Titus 3:8 Whatever is good and profitable to someone's physical, social, or moral well-being is likely the will of God. All we are to do is step out in faith and love, trusting God, not trusting in our own righteousness, and then give Him all the Glory. He loves us all so much, and we then become His voice, His hands, His feet, to reach this hurting world. So do we carry out 'ACTS OF LOVE' to go to heaven? ABSOLUTELY NOT! We love because we are going to heaven and God wants us to share His love as we are on route. "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives I me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
 
"And Jesus answered him, 'The first of all the commandments is, 'Hear or Israel, the Lord our God is One Lord: and thou shall love the Lord thy God with all of thy heart, and with all of thy soul, and with all of thy mind, and with all of thy strength. This is the first commandment.' And the second is like namely this, 'thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.' There in none other commandment greater than these.'" Mark 12:29-31

CONCLUSION
The Biblical truths we adhere to, or disregard, directly validate or negate the love and goodness we profess. “Love works no ill to its neighbor…” Romans 13:10 Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." John 14:15


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