Is Your Love Restricted?
My dear elderly cat had a stroke on Thanksgiving Day. A stroke or "brain attack" is when either blood flows from an aneurism onto the brain causing damage or blood flow is restricted from flowing to the brain.
When the flow of blood is restricted from nourishing the brain and providing oxygen then parts of the brain can be damaged and even die.
A transient ischemic attack, where a blood clot temporarily blocks the flow of blood to the brain is usually a warning sign. These mini strokes can be resolved once the material blocking the blood flow dislodges and is broken down by natural dissolvers.
When we withhold love from other Christians, we in essence are in jeopardy of cutting off the love of God from vital parts of the body of Christ.
Marks of the True Christian, reads the heading of Romans 12:9.
Genuine Love
Hates evil
Holds fast to what is good
Loves one another with brotherly affection
Outdoing one another in showing honor
Genuine in the Strong's concordance means without hypocrisy, unfeigned, undisguised, and sincere.
Are we emulating this genuine love that the scriptures clearly present? Or are we restricting the flow of love to one another, potentially putting our body at risk to become a weak and dysfunctional stroke victim?
Although we are treated poorly at times we are called to love and honor each other. Even when we are spoken of or thought of in an evil way, we are to rejoice and love with our hearts wide open to those around us.
Having hearts that are wide open is an important posture to maintain within the body of believers where God has placed us. But people so often want to guard their hearts and by doing this they are restricted in their own affections. Paul commands us to widen our hearts.
Can you widen your heart on your own? Not at all! This is supernatural work of the Spirit.
The Spirit of God gives us knowledge, patience, kindness, genuine love, truthful speech and the power of God, so that even whether we are slandered or praised, treated as imposters when we are true followers of Christ, punished but not killed, sorrowful yet rejoicing, having nothing but really possessing everything, we can walk in genuine love.
When we walk in genuine love we hate evil and hold fast to what is good loving and honoring one another as family.
The family of God is a gift that needs tended to. Are we intentionally widening our hearts toward one another so that our affections will grow for one another?
This philadelphia love is the love of brothers and sisters, a love that causes us to cherish each other as family.
This love is ordained by God as mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:9
Abba, we thank you for giving us your love so that we can love those around us in a deep and genuine manner. Widen our hearts we ask that we would not be the cause of other's love being restricted and that our own affections would not be restricted but that our love would flow freely toward one another generously and fervently. That our bodies would be healthy and strong, well oxygenated by the love of the Father to do His will and glorify Jesus!
When the flow of blood is restricted from nourishing the brain and providing oxygen then parts of the brain can be damaged and even die.
A transient ischemic attack, where a blood clot temporarily blocks the flow of blood to the brain is usually a warning sign. These mini strokes can be resolved once the material blocking the blood flow dislodges and is broken down by natural dissolvers.
When we withhold love from other Christians, we in essence are in jeopardy of cutting off the love of God from vital parts of the body of Christ.
Marks of the True Christian, reads the heading of Romans 12:9.
Genuine Love
Hates evil
Holds fast to what is good
Loves one another with brotherly affection
Outdoing one another in showing honor
Genuine in the Strong's concordance means without hypocrisy, unfeigned, undisguised, and sincere.
2 Corinthians 6:4-13
but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way:
by great endurance, in afflictions,
hardships, calamities, beatings,
imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights,
hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness,
the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech,
and the power of God;
with the weapons of righteousness
for the right hand and for the left;
through honor and dishonor, though slander and praise.
We are treated as imposters, and yet are true;
as unknown, and yet well known;
as dying, and behold, we live; as punished,
and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;
as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing,
yet possessing everything.
We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians;
our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us,
but you are restricted in your own affections.
In return (I speak as to children)
widen your hearts also.
Are we emulating this genuine love that the scriptures clearly present? Or are we restricting the flow of love to one another, potentially putting our body at risk to become a weak and dysfunctional stroke victim?
Although we are treated poorly at times we are called to love and honor each other. Even when we are spoken of or thought of in an evil way, we are to rejoice and love with our hearts wide open to those around us.
Having hearts that are wide open is an important posture to maintain within the body of believers where God has placed us. But people so often want to guard their hearts and by doing this they are restricted in their own affections. Paul commands us to widen our hearts.
Can you widen your heart on your own? Not at all! This is supernatural work of the Spirit.
The Spirit of God gives us knowledge, patience, kindness, genuine love, truthful speech and the power of God, so that even whether we are slandered or praised, treated as imposters when we are true followers of Christ, punished but not killed, sorrowful yet rejoicing, having nothing but really possessing everything, we can walk in genuine love.
When we walk in genuine love we hate evil and hold fast to what is good loving and honoring one another as family.
The family of God is a gift that needs tended to. Are we intentionally widening our hearts toward one another so that our affections will grow for one another?
This philadelphia love is the love of brothers and sisters, a love that causes us to cherish each other as family.
This love is ordained by God as mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:9
About brotherly love:
You don't need me to write you because
You don't need me to write you because
you yourselves are taught by God to love.
Hebrews 13:1
Let brotherly love continue.
1 Peter 1:22
Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other,
from a pure heart love one another constantly,
Abba, we thank you for giving us your love so that we can love those around us in a deep and genuine manner. Widen our hearts we ask that we would not be the cause of other's love being restricted and that our own affections would not be restricted but that our love would flow freely toward one another generously and fervently. That our bodies would be healthy and strong, well oxygenated by the love of the Father to do His will and glorify Jesus!
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