Love and Faith

FAITH-BASED  LOVE

We sing, Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free, as if we really believe it. At times it rolls off our tongues from a heart that is swelling with the sense of that amazing love. But then, there are those times when we are only mouthing the words. The sense is gone.

Should you speak of His love for you only when you feel it? Should you speak of your love for Him only when you feel it?

Is the depth of God’s love for you determined by your sense of it? Is your response to God’s love for you determined by your sense or your level of emotional connection to His love for you?

Could it be that keeping yourself in the love of God (Jude 20) has more to do with faith than feelings? And, could it be that as feelings fluctuate, faith keeps you consistently responding to His love which you have come to know and appreciate, and which you prayerfully seek to comprehend more fully (Eph. 3:18,19)? And then as you dwell upon that love that you know by faith, is it possible that emotions will follow that will increase your delight in Him, and motivate you toward more fervent devotion to Him and service for Him?  (2 Corinthians 5:14)

As you think about this concept of relating to God’s love with the kind of consistency that faith produces, perhaps you can apply it to your human relationships. Your love for one another, and especially your love for your spouse, is to mirror God’s love for you, and your response to His love.  It is the Spirit of God who places this love in our hearts (Rom. 5:5; Gal. 5:22).

So, should you say to your wife, I love you deeply, even though your emotions or feelings are not necessarily connecting with that concept at the moment? Remember, God’s love for you is not simply an emotional statement. God’s love has been, and is, demonstrated! Thus, if you are loving as He loves, you should say and do, whether you feel it or not! In fact, if you say you love her deeply and then treat her in unloving ways, you words are mere words.

Thankfully, God’s love for us is more than mere words! Neither is He void of emotion. May the love He has made known to you through faith be manifested in your relation to others, especially your spouse.         

What is in a Greeting?

GO AHEAD, TRY IT!

I was recently confronted with a thought in a chapter of Love Dare (Kendrick, P&H Publishing Group), which addressed the matter of greeting your spouse. My thoughts expanded beyond simply greeting my spouse. Think about it with me.

The word translated “salute” and “greet” in our AV is found 49 times in the NT. At the close of several of Paul’s letters he gives a list of folks that he wished to be greeted. He often sent a general greeting from a church or churches. Friendly and kind relationships seemed important to Paul.

Jesus informs us that greeting your enemy is an evidence of genuine love: Matt. 5:47.

§  Jesus assumes that we will greet our closer relations, either bio-family or spiritual family.

§  Greeting others is a simple way to demonstrate love. Everybody can do it!

Four times in Scripture we find the direct exhortation to greet one another!

Ro 16:16  Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.

1Co 16:20  All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.

2Co 13:12  Greet one another with an holy kiss.

1Pe 5:14  Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus.

Greeting is the introduction to a relationship – this is where each personal interaction begins.

§  Paul and Peter agree that Christians especially should be guided by a holy affection for one another.

§  When we come together, there ought to be a spirit of love guiding us, which is manifested by a kind and affectionate greeting.

§  Our holy kiss may be a hand shake, or an hello with a smile and eye contact! There should be the sense communicated that we care, are engaged and find some satisfaction in relating as brothers and sisters in Christ.

§  Spirit produced fruit of love enables us to overcome fleshly weakness and self-focus to engage others primarily for their sake, not our own. (Phil. 2:4)

·       A proper greeting expresses interest in another.

·       A proper greeting opens the door for the possibility of meaningful conversation.

·       A proper greeting may be an encouragement to the one you are greeting! (We all know how it feels to receive a cold, aloof, and indifferent sort of greeting from someone.)

§  What if they don’t respond with equal affection? Love does not act based upon response – your demonstration of love, consistently demonstrated, honors Christ and will have positive effect.

Thinking about how we greet one another forces us to think beyond ourselves!

§  Forces our minds out of our small, limited world to consider the person we are meeting.

§  Forces our minds to think about how we might positively interact to God’s glory with others.

There are times in which our countenance betrays our pain, trouble, sorrow, difficulty, etc..  In such case, we need the affectionate greeting and attention of others. But this should not be the rule of our lives!

If greet one another with affectionate kindness is important in relation to brethren in Christ, and greeting our enemies with kindness a display of genuine love, how much more should this apply to our spouses?

§  How do you greet your spouse in the morning, on the phone, or upon returning home at night?                   

§  Do you think your spouse is encouraged by your greeting? Do you think he/she anticipates your show of kindness in your greeting? Do you look forward to a kiss reserved ONLY for him/her?

We all might be surprised at the improvement our relationships might enjoy if we took this simple Christian instruction seriously: greet one another with an holy kiss. Go ahead, try it! I dare you!