LIFE ON GOD’S TERMS

Oswald Chambers (evangelist, teacher; 1874-1917; author of the devotional, My Utmost for His Highest) once said,

“If we are devoted to the cause of humanity we will be crushed and broken-hearted, for we shall often meet with ingratitude. But if our motive is love for God, no ingratitude will hinder us from serving our fellow man.”

God is looking for a few good men, followers who will do something different by making a positive difference in the lives of other people. To obey this command to love, you must give up those expectations that life be lived on your terms and be willing to pay the price so that God’s purposes can be fulfilled on planet earth. What’s more, He expects you to do it daily. Minute by minute, hour after hour.

God is not asking you to do something He hasn’t already done Himself. 1 John 3:16 tells us, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” The Message? Bible says, “Christ sacrificed His life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves.”

Are you willing to die daily 1 Cor. 15:31? This is harder than physical death, because it means to deny yourself and obey God even when it goes against the grain. Still, that’s what you’ve been called to do when you step forward with a willingness to obey the love command.

Paul writes, “But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish...” (Phil. 3:8).

To many people sacrifices are associated with regret and sadness, but to God it’s an act of love that brings joy and gladness. Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 12:15a, “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls...”

It is a great privilege to be given the opportunity to make a sacrifice for other people.

There is, however, no reward unless your sacrifices are done very gladly. You’re not just glad to make the sacrifice, you’re very glad. God loves a cheerful giver 2 Cor. 9:7 and if your sacrifice isn’t given very gladly, then it’s not very Godly.

Gladness is the qualifier as to whether or not you are sincere in what you’re doing. Give with a smile on your face as you consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in you Rom. 8:18.

Christianity is about finding out what God wants you to do, and then doing it. It’s about being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only James 1:22. 1 John 4:7,8 reveals specifically what God wants you to do with your life, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

Love is the indicator that one has been born again and knows God. It doesn’t matter how religious you are, or how many scriptures you can quote. What matters is whether or not you obey the command to love others as Jesus loves you.

Paul writes in Rom. 13:8, “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” The Message? Bible says, “Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along.”

John writes, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” 1 John 4:11. The word “ought” is derived from the root word “owe.” Love is a debt owed to people and God is telling you to pay your debts. The reason this is so important is because people see God by seeing you.

God is love and when you love others, people come in contact with Him. Deep calls unto deep Ps. 42:7 and the creation calls unto the Creator. The Creator is love and He lives inside of you. No other religion has this and no false god can make that claim.

“Owe no one anything except to love one another.”

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