How many of you know what the goal of our instruction is? Paul told Timothy what it was. The commandment is love, from a pure heart, good conscience, and a sincere faith. To love comes from a place in your life where all three, pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith work together. All three must be together. Even though Paul was consenting to Stephens’s death, he later tells the high priest that he has lived in good conscience until this day. How many of you have your consciences tainted with a belief that you are a sinner? That is done on purpose so you don’t walk out in love. Not a love that comes from the flesh, but a love in the spirit.
1 Timothy 1:5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,
Acts 23:1 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”
We must strive to continue loving others not expecting anything in return. It profits you nothing if you are expecting something back. It’s the principle of sowing and reaping. If you sow to the flesh like sowing money expecting more money to return, this leads to corruption. Money corrupts. Look at many of the churches today. When they run low on funds, Malachi 3 gets preached using guilt and condemnation against you for robbing God. God’s not going to curse whom He has already blessed. God was in the temple back then, He’s not anymore. He’s in His people where He has always wanted to be. That’s why Jesus spoke at the end of Matthew 25, “When you do it to the least of these, you do it to Me.” Proving He is in the people and not in a building, Jesus tells Saul of Tarsus, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me.” Now sowing to the spirit you reap eternal life. Loving someone not expecting anything. Going out of your way to help someone and letting no one you did that. Going around and doing good is sowing in the spirit. Jesus did this. When we gather together we share some of the things the Lord has done through us to glorify Him. This life in the spirit is amazing.
Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Acts 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Romans 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
As you were reading this blog, did you notice that when you sow to the spirit it’s from the heart? Denying yourself helps you advance in the spirit, not making it about yourself. Your heart gets perfected in love. It’s from perfect love that we get to cast out fear. Living from sincere faith knowing that what God has said will come to pass, perfects you in love. That love is of the spirit. I hope you now understand why the commandment is love. To perfect you in that love so you can look like Jesus, the image of God. Be blessed, my friends.
Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.