The Power of Love part 3
I want to revisit the key verse for this Rant series: 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Now, just the same as Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God," there are not three wills of God. His will is good, and acceptable, and perfect. His Spirit is of power, love, and a sound mind. Because His Spirit IS love. He is the Spirit of truth that leads and guides us into all truth. The truth that the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands. The truth that He is OUR heavenly Father and we are His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. That's what it means to HAVE a sound mind. Look at James 1:8, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." When you don't know who you are... when you're trying to be someone you're not in order to get something you think you haven't got... that's when everything in your life is out of sorts. Out of balance. That's when just scraping by is a struggle. God doesn't want us to struggle. What Father would? God wants us to prosper. And I'll show you that too, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end" (Jeremiah 29:11). And, really, that expected end CAME on the cross. God gave us everything He had for us when He gave us His Son. His Spirit. His life. Everlasting life is a promise and a gift. A promise that was kept on the cross. A gift that was given on the cross. And now that we HAVE it, all we need to do is receive it and release it. All we need to do is start to experience and enjoy it by sharing it with others. Because "it" is a life full of love. That Spirit again. There is no fear in love. No fear of not having something that we need, and no fear of losing what we've got. Because we are connected to the source. God IS love. And He lives in us. There is nothing to fear. Not even death. Jesus conquered death on the cross. He laid His life down so that He could pick it back up. So that WE could have it. We now know who we are in Christ, because we know who Christ is in us. We're not double-minded, and we're not unstable. We're not trying to take the Kingdom with the violence of human effort. We're ENJOYING the Kingdom because we know that we ARE the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God (the Kingdom of Love) is where the King (of kings) rules and reigns. And that's us. He rules and reigns in us, and through us, and as us. "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth" (Revelation 5:10). The power of love gives you the power to rule and reign, but letting Jesus rule and reign in you, and through you, and as you. By showing you what's inside so that it can come out. Naturally. The sound mind is knowing who we are. The power is knowing what we're capable BECAUSE of who we are. And the love... well... the love is what it's all about. That's HOW we rule and reign on the earth. By letting our heavenly Father love us, and loving each other with that same love. By knowing and believing the love of Christ, and filling ourselves to overflowing with what we've been filled with. Letting it out by letting it in. Guarding our hearts by keeping them OPEN to love!