Jesus expressed Our Heavenly Father’s Divine Nature and Intent not only by His words but also by His actions. Do you? Jesus boldly told the disciples in John 14:
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
There is no getting around this reality and unless you fully embrace the Words of Jesus you are in for a challenging time ahead. Many Christians look for issues among other brethren in order to separate themselves and ultimately isolate their lives from others. If there is anything that I have learned over the last 44 years, it is that my doctrines are subject to change but FATHER’S Love isn’t. By trusting HIM to open my eyes to deeper truths, I have been able to accept people where they are at rather than expecting them to perform to some expectation. Love is the connection to others and if you want to connect and maintain a relationship, Love is the key. In the 13th chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus commands us to Love:
34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
A commandment is a beneficial rule, edict, charge, with expectation of compliance. Every commandment given to us by FATHER is for our own good and benefit yet many believers sidestep this particular commandment. They place conditions on others while they expect none in return. They are “conditional” in their love for others yet they expect FATHER to overlook their frailty.
If you don’t embrace this commandment, it is because you do not have the revelation of Love yet. Love gives, the soulish man takes and consumes. If you operate in this “new” commandment all men will know that you are a disciple of Jesus and a mature son of FATHER.
How much time and resource are you consuming on yourself versus others? Are you looking for opportunities to bless others? Spiritual Truths tend to be counterintuitive to man’s thinking, reasoning, and analyzing. You must die to live. You must sow to reap. Jesus emphasized this reality in Luke chapter 6:
37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Love does not judge or condemn but instead it forgives. When you truly embrace this in your heart, you then should expect FATHER to bless you in order for you to become a greater blessing to those you encounter. If you sow very little, you will reap in the same manner.
You may ask yourself why I keep focusing on this topic of giving. Could it be that this is the one area that prevents believers from entering into the full presence of FATHER? What was Jesus’ last act before coming into the HIS Presence? He gave His life on the cross, the ultimate act of Love. Until you overcome the subtleness of greed, selfishness, and self preservation, you will have difficulty in clearly hearing FATHER’S Voice.
Some will say that they do give by giving to their loved ones and friends. Jesus did not limit His giving to those whom He knew but included strangers as well. If you only help out friends and family, you are a conditional giver. Jesus made it quite clear in Matthew 25:
33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Which side are you on?