March 19, 2023
Greetings and blessings to all of you. In 2 Cor. 5:14-15 the Word states, “For the love of Christ constrains us because we have judged this, that One died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all that those who live may no longer live to themselves but to Him who died for them and has been raised.” Paul was a person who lived for the Lord. We also must be persons carried away by the love of Christ. This verse tells us that the love that Christ gives us compels us to love Him and others beyond measure. We need to be at a point where we say, “I have no other way to go. I have to love the Lord because His love has constrained me. What can I do? Once we have received the love of Christ we immediately are placed at the crossroad of our Christian experience. There are two roads to choose from... the narrow road and the broad road. But once we recognize and are flooded or infused with the love of Christ, we will choose the narrow road. We should not live anymore by what we are or by what we can do. We have to live by the eternal life, which is Christ Himself, and we have to be so aimed at pleasing Him. We have to learn how to discern things not by outward appearance but by the inward Spirit of Christ. Love is one of the listed Fruit of the Spirit. It is most difficult because “every way of man is right in his own eyes”. And we do not want to do a John 3:30 “He must increase, but we must decrease.” Our sinful nature causes us to corrupt that which is beautiful. We have a tendency to turn God’s moral law which the apostle Paul called “holy righteous and good” into oppressive “legalism”. God taught the ten commandments to the Israelites before they were to cross over to the promise land. He wanted his chosen people to be that example for how He wanted them to love/behave..so others could follow once they see God’s love in them. But that did not happen. Instead, just like we do…they missed the spirit of the law and emphasized the letter of the law thereby gaining rule-keeping and pride not Love. God wants us to know that “his commandments are not burdensome” even though He says,” Love your enemies and pray for those who persecutes you” (Matt. 5:43-48). How do you do that you may ask? Gal. 5:18 says, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” We can no longer rely on our own inner strength...we have to rely on the power that now lives in us as the resurrected Christ…Christ lives in us now…so let us live in that reality.
With the Love of Christ
First Lady Vivian C. Currie
Pastor ALC