Author - César Muñoz
Hello friends! This is a follow-up or a part two to my last blog post. If you haven't already read it, you should check it out! But with that, let's jump right into it.
"There's a map within my body; there's a promise that reminds me that I am not alone."
What are some things I have had to change because of this "teach to test" principle I introduced in my last blog?
1.Teach
Well, for starters, in the last two years, I have had to radically change the way I love people. Truthfully, I didn't know what a "Christ-like" love looked like until recently. See, I have always "loved" people; at least, I thought I did. But this love was not the unconditional, self-sacrificing, everlasting love Jesus shows us in the Bible. The love I showed people was a response to how they made me feel or how they benefited me. As Norm Wakefield puts it, I was showing an earthly love focused on getting and using.
There is a drastic contrast between "earthly love" and "God's love." God's love is determined toward our highest good, no matter the cost to Him. And that is the love we are called to show others the second we accept Him as our savior and make him the king of our hearts. 1 John 4:7-8 says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." When reading this scripture, I used to look at it and tell myself." Alright, Cesar. We just have to love everyone and be kind like God. Sounds easy enough, right? That's what I thought, but I only "loved" everyone as long as they made me happy, were kind to me, or brought me some joy.
It was NOT the love of God. It was an earthly, self-serving love I was showing people. But I did not know that because, like many people, I slapped the label of "love" on it to check the box I had set in front of myself.
2. Test
Now, what exactly have I had to change since I learned the difference between these two forms of love? The first thing I had to do was pray! There is no way I can show the love of God if I don't come to Him in prayer and ask Him for it. Matthew 7:7-8 says "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be open."
The second thing I had to do was get into the Bible. How can I show the love of God to people if I don't know what His love looks like?
The third thing, and in my opinion the most important thing I had to do, was let the Spirit use me. Truthfully, I can not show the love of God. My flesh won't allow it! I am too sinful and wicked to show the love of God by my own determination and strength! And, if I could show the love of God by my own strength, there would be no need for Him to have placed His Spirit in me.
To truly show the love of God, I have to allow myself to be a vessel out of obedience and submission to Him, and only then can the love of God be shown through me.
This is a practice I have to remind myself of daily; otherwise, I fall back into an earthly love full of terms and conditions. God is loving and abundant, and I know his desire is to show His love through me. I just have to abide in Him and let His Spirit move.
As I bring this blog to a close, I am thankful for the opportunity I have today to show God's love to others if I allow Him to move through me. And I challenge you to do the same. Make a space for God to use you for His glory! Thank you so much for reading my blog. I pray it was a blessing and brought you joy.
The song for this blog post is Signal Fire by Chris Renzema.
Hello friends! This is a follow-up or a part two to my last blog post. If you haven't already read it, you should check it out! But with that, let's jump right into it.
"There's a map within my body; there's a promise that reminds me that I am not alone."
What are some things I have had to change because of this "teach to test" principle I introduced in my last blog?
1.Teach
Well, for starters, in the last two years, I have had to radically change the way I love people. Truthfully, I didn't know what a "Christ-like" love looked like until recently. See, I have always "loved" people; at least, I thought I did. But this love was not the unconditional, self-sacrificing, everlasting love Jesus shows us in the Bible. The love I showed people was a response to how they made me feel or how they benefited me. As Norm Wakefield puts it, I was showing an earthly love focused on getting and using.
There is a drastic contrast between "earthly love" and "God's love." God's love is determined toward our highest good, no matter the cost to Him. And that is the love we are called to show others the second we accept Him as our savior and make him the king of our hearts. 1 John 4:7-8 says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." When reading this scripture, I used to look at it and tell myself." Alright, Cesar. We just have to love everyone and be kind like God. Sounds easy enough, right? That's what I thought, but I only "loved" everyone as long as they made me happy, were kind to me, or brought me some joy.
It was NOT the love of God. It was an earthly, self-serving love I was showing people. But I did not know that because, like many people, I slapped the label of "love" on it to check the box I had set in front of myself.
2. Test
Now, what exactly have I had to change since I learned the difference between these two forms of love? The first thing I had to do was pray! There is no way I can show the love of God if I don't come to Him in prayer and ask Him for it. Matthew 7:7-8 says "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be open."
The second thing I had to do was get into the Bible. How can I show the love of God to people if I don't know what His love looks like?
The third thing, and in my opinion the most important thing I had to do, was let the Spirit use me. Truthfully, I can not show the love of God. My flesh won't allow it! I am too sinful and wicked to show the love of God by my own determination and strength! And, if I could show the love of God by my own strength, there would be no need for Him to have placed His Spirit in me.
To truly show the love of God, I have to allow myself to be a vessel out of obedience and submission to Him, and only then can the love of God be shown through me.
This is a practice I have to remind myself of daily; otherwise, I fall back into an earthly love full of terms and conditions. God is loving and abundant, and I know his desire is to show His love through me. I just have to abide in Him and let His Spirit move.
As I bring this blog to a close, I am thankful for the opportunity I have today to show God's love to others if I allow Him to move through me. And I challenge you to do the same. Make a space for God to use you for His glory! Thank you so much for reading my blog. I pray it was a blessing and brought you joy.
The song for this blog post is Signal Fire by Chris Renzema.
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