Liberty part 4
Free FROM sin--unbelief, external circumstances, expectations--makes us free TO love. Because what is unbelief except not believing that God loves us? That's the sin of the world that Jesus took away. And He took it away by giving us something (someone, Himself) to believe in. He told us what love is--who God is--and then on the cross He SHOWED us what love is. He said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his freinds" (John 15:13). And then He went to the cross and put His money where His mouth was. He literally laid His life down for us. He gave His life for us, and He gave His life TO us. And now, in that same way, we can lay down our lives for each other. We can, "Let nothing be done through strife or bainflory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not evey man on his own thing, but every man on the things of others" (Philippians 2:3-4)." Let me say it like this, if I take care of you, and you take care of me, neither one of us has to take care of ourselves... and both of us are still taken care of! That's what it means to cherish your own body. Realize that I'm a part of your body and cherish me, even as I realize that you're a part of my body and cherish you! It's like we have this idea where if I put you down then I can took bigger. If I climb on you I can reach higher. But the economy of the Kingdom says we should ONLY look down on somebody in order to help them up. Don't judge people... help people! And when we know how much Jesus has helped US, that frees us to be able to help each other. It's not helping so that we can get help. It's not, "I'll scratch your back so that you'll scratch mine." It's, "I have what I need, and I have what YOU need, so let me share it with you." Let me scratch your itch, simply so you won't be itchy anymore. We have been freed from anything and everything that could hold us back. We're not in bondage anymore. We WERE dead in our trespasses and sins, but Jesus came to bring us out of bondage and into the Promised Land. Out of death and into life. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Where the breath, or the Word, of the controller is, there is freedom. The love of Christ controls us. Love made me do it. That's why I want to do everything I do. Because I'm moved with compassion and motivated by love. Not because I'm trying to get something, but because I already have something. We have already been blessed with all Spiritual blessings. We have already been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. We have the mind of Christ--the lowliness of mind that our passage in Phillipians spoke of--we just need to LET the mind of Christ, that's already in us, BE in us. We are free. We have liberty. We can live, and we can love. We can live... BY loving!