January 2, 2012

“Sincerely Love One Another Earnestly”

Blessings Folk!

Let us look at the last few verses of 1 Peter 1… go to http://www.dalemoore.tv and scroll through the recent posts to be in context…

1 Peter 1
22 By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
23 since you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.
24 For
   All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.
   And this is the word that was preached as the gospel to you.

Through obedience to the Truth we have been saved by the blood of Jesus.

We have been purified by His blood.

Therefore, since we are purified, we are to manifest love for fellow brothers.

We are to love earnestly.
We are to love from a pure heart.

Sadly, this is rare within the professing Body of Christ.

Too often I have heard “I have to love them in the Lord, but I don’t like them”.
This is not true love.

The Lord is abundantly clear about this.
I have mentioned it repeatedly...often I think too much…but, then the Lord mentions it repeatedly.

Jesus said that the world would know that we are His disciples by our love for one another.

John 13
35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Not by our love of Him.
Not by our perfect theology.
Not by our “growth” in numbers.
Not by our buildings.
Not by our programs.
Not by our performances (“services&rdquo in the name of the Lord.

But rather, by our love for one another.

Not even our love of those in the world.

Our love for one another.

Many within the professing Body do not do this.

Why?

Personally I believe it is due to the fact that they are not truly saved.
I think some 75% of those who are “religious”, “go to church”, etc. are not truly saved.
I base this on the parable of the sower.

If they are not saved, then they can not manifest true love for one another.

Oh, we can be nice.
We can manifest the love of man.
But, one can not truly love the brethren if they are not part of the brethren.

1 John 4
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

The Word of God endures forever.
The Love of God manifested through us endures forever.

The other stuff will burn…as the grass of the field.

But love endures forever.

Today, examine yourself…

2 Corinthians 13
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test.

You are born again of imperishable seed.
You are born again through the Living and Enduring Word of God.

So, love.

1 Corinthians 13
13 Now these three remain:
faith, hope, and love.
But the greatest of these is love.