LOVING IN SPIRIT

 

Have you experienced loving others but eventually being burnt out or suddenly falling out of love? Have you experienced receiving or even giving seasonal love to others (e.g loving them when they are most lovable or pleasant)? Have you experienced giving out limited love because of believing that ‘’I also have to leave a room to love myself’’?

THESE ARE ALL WORLDLY LOVE!

As we read Galatians 5, We will know that Christ has set us free from the yoke of slavery of this world. The world has been teaching temporary love. And we became a slave of our own kind of love and self righteousness. 

Christ Has Set Us Free

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

Make a difference!!!

Now that we are free men in Christ,

     What makes us different from our old self?

Faith working through love. 

• When we were in the world, we also loved but without faith or some of us have faith but not faith working in love. 

• BUT now, we should have both of these elements working together. LOVE keeps our FAITH working and FAITH causes us in LOVE. 

How do they work together?

• Verses 6 and 13 said, 

 ‘’Only faith working through love…through love serve one another.’’

How is it possible?

• Verse 25 ‘’Live and walk in the spirit’’

• LOVE is one of the fruits of the spirit, if we walk and live in the spirit we will reap this fruit that enables us to serve one another. The Holy spirit in us is the one who’s manifesting in love when we walk and live in spirit. We know the struggles of truthfully loving others and surely we will always fall short of loving them if we walk in the flesh. It is the Holy Spirit who helps us love them as He loves them.  

• We can feel genuine love and sincere service for others when we are in the spirit. When we feel hatred, anger, envy, jealousy, divisions and the like, these are the awakening that we are not walking in the spirit because the spirit knows not to hate, envy, angry etc. 

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:25-26

Reflections: 

• Am I really walking in the spirit or in the flesh?

• Do I have a genuine love and sincere service for God and others?

• Do I serve them wholeheartedly without the expectation of return?

• How do I approach my brothers and others?

• Have I felt burnt out of loving them?

• Do I feel jealous, envious, angry towards them in certain circumstances?

• How does walking in the Spirit change my service to God and to others?

• How does walking in the flesh change my relationship towards others?

• What do I do when I catch myself walking in the flesh?

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5:22-24

WHAT AN AMAZING JOB!

The most important factor that makes our job amazing is the people we are working with. Whether they are our employers or co-workers. Have you found these people in your workplace? Have you found this kind of work in this world?

Our bible reading for today is from 2 Corinthians 6. Verses 1-2 says, 

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 

2 Corinthians 6:1

The word ‘’workers’’ here is very significant. We are indeed workers as where we are. Workers not for the world but in this world for the Kingdom of God. Whoever claimed to be Christians and believers of Christ should no longer work for themselves but for the Lord. The moment that we’re reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, that was the time that ‘’We were hired!’’ and qualified to work in a new position in the Ministry of reconciliation. We are given the title as, ‘’the ambassadors of Christ’’ who will represent Him in this world. This is the most amazing job in this world and it is a great privilege to represent Christ in this foreign place-the world. 

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

2 Corinthians 6:18

Our job descriptions: 

Working in the ministry of reconciliation as Ambassadors of Christ. 

1. Preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons like Jesus

For He says:

“In an acceptable time I have heard you,

And on the day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6:2

• These call the urgency of the Gospel to be shared, sick to be healed, captives be freed. 

2. Take up the cross of Jesus

4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

2 Corinthians 6:4-10

• This is no time for Christian lives consumed with ease and comfort and self-focus. It is time to get busy for the Lord and to be workers together with Him. God doesn’t want us to be sluggard but to keep on working for Him as He rewards  all the hardworking. 

3. Work in agreement with God

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 

2 Corinthians 6:1

• ‘’We are workers together with Him. Paul never said God works together with us. It isn’t our work that God helps us with. It is His work that He asks us to do together with Him. Instead of trying to get God to help us with our work, we need to find out what God’s work is, and do it with Him.’’

• Is God supposed to do it or am I supposed to do it? The answer is, “Yes!” God does it and we do it. Trust God, rely on Him, and then get to work and work as hard as you can! That is how we see the work of God accomplished.

The picture of ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) is especially helpful in understanding the nature of being workers together with Him. An ambassador can rightly be described as working together with his king. Yet, the ambassador himself has no power or authority or agenda on his own – it is all bound up in his king. The king delegates power and authority to the ambassador and reveals. 

There is no easy job, whether IN THE WORLD OR IN THE WORD. Working in the ministry of Reconciliation is never easy. But this is the most satisfying, beneficial, and valuable job. Working with the Lord is the best. It’s not that God needs us but He chose to work with us for our good. 

How do you find working with the Lord amazing?

What makes you stay in the work?

Could you recommend this work to everyone? Why?

 

Our reading for today is from the book of 2 Corinthians 2. 

2 Corinthians 2:15-16

15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 

16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

We- Christians

Aroma/fragrance/scent- pleasant smell

Source of aroma- Jesus 

We are the aroma of Christ to God. God through us is spreading the aroma of the knowledge of Christ in every place. God intends that the scent of knowing Jesus be smelled in every place through the lives of his people. 

Let us reflect: 

— What kind of scent are we bringing to people? Is it a pleasant scent or a foul one? 

— Does our fragrance brings death or life? 

— Are we getting the source of aroma from Jesus? Do we smell like Jesus everyday?

— Are we spreading the aroma of the knowledge of Jesus and make Him known to our loved ones? Friends? Workmates? 

Jesus smells like sacrificial service for the good of others.

Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

The smell of Christ is a pleasing fragrance to God. Our sufferings, afflictions, “not my will but yours be done” smell like Jesus to the Father. Everything we do for the glory of Jesus, if it’s according to God’s Words and will is pleasing to the Father. 

Let’s persevere to think like Jesus, act like Jesus, and wear the fragrance of Jesus all the time. 

Amen