From Where Does Love Come – Part Four
“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.” I Timothy 1: 5
The third fountain from which love springs is a genuine faith. This relates to our future goals.
The word translated as sincere, or genuine, means without hypocrisy. Are you living on a pretend faith? Faith produces works. Faith is consistently expressive. Is your faith a mirage?
The test of your faith is does it prompt obedient action? If what you call faith doesn’t, it isn’t faith, it’s froth. It is a religious front that is a fake.
There are some very special times that can be used to demonstrate faith. Use the difficult times in life as occasions to demonstrate your faith in the living Lord. Instead of complaining and whining, use those difficult moments as meaningful times to exhibit your faith and thereby prove His faithfulness.
In love our Lord has discretely established faith as the means by which we obtain life’s greatest blessings and numerous other valuable ones. We are saved by grace through faith. Faith is the positive means by which we respond to the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.
There are some things that we might like but can’t obtain on our own. For example, if there were a cube of pure gold measuring 13″ X 13″ offered to you, would you accept it. If you were told that for it to be yours all you would have to do is come pick it up personally and take it with you, would you do it? A thirteen inch cube of pure gold! Would you like it? It is yours if you simply take it. Most persons would love to have such a quantity of gold. Regardless of how badly you would like it you could not meet the requirement for obtaining it. You could not pick it up for it would weigh one ton. You couldn’t meet the standard of picking it up.
For you to pick up the gift of salvation God has made it possible for the “whosoever” of John 3: 16. All that is necessary is faith in Christ.
It can never be spelled out too simply or too frequently. There are four basics we do well to learn. Use the personal pronoun “I” to refer to yourself and repeat within yourself the following:
#1. I am not God.
#2 God is God.
#3 I sin when I get #1 and #2 reversed.
#4. Jesus Christ came to help me get #1 and #2 in proper order and to forgive me of #3.
When we, by faith, put those four in proper perspective, we are in position to obtain the wonderful love gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
You will never truly live until you have established a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Then you shall never die. The fountains of love flow freely.
From Where Does Love Come – Part Three
“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.” I Timothy 1: 5
The second fountainhead from which love flows is a clear conscience. This speaks of past actions.
Huck Finn said, “Sometimes a fellow’s conscience takes up more room than all the rest of his insides.”
The Greek word used in our text and translated “conscience” is “suneidesis.” It literally means “a knowing within.” How what is known within is programmed is the critical issue. To have a good conscience it must be programmed by God’s value standard, the Bible.
Our English word conscience comes from the Latin con-scienta, meaning joint knowledge or co-knowledge, knowing together with. A conscience is a poor guide unless it knows the Word of God.
Hearts not informed and influenced by the Word of God can become insensitive. We are seeing this increasingly in America. In America youth watch violence while enjoying their favorite treats of candy, popcorn, and preferred beverage. Their conscience is dulled and has become insensitive. Then we wonder why there is so much violence by youth who seem to feel nothing. They have a conscience seared by a hot iron. A cauterized conscience is a non-feeling conscience. Once they enact violence and are shocked back into reality they have to live with the consequence of their act.
A clear conscience is one:
A. Guided by God’s special revelation as a norm.
B. Makes wise judgements and issues instructions which are obeyed.
C. Produces “Godly sorrow which works repentance unto salvation” (II Corinthians 7:10).
D. It not only condemns the bad, but commends the good. The result is faith.
After all Paul had done, how could he have a clear conscience? Verses 12-15 explain. The same principle applies today. In I Timothy 1: 12 – 15 Paul bursts into joyous celebration over what Christ had done in his life. His story is that if Christ could change him, Christ can change anyone. What Paul was saying in this statement of his ignorance was there is nothing chic, cool, or glamorous about living in sin.
How can a person with a carnally complicated and corrupt past gain a clear conscience? By having a cleansed life. How is it possible? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
From Where Does Love Come – Part Two
“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.” I Timothy 1: 5
Three characteristics of the foundation of love are mentioned. Explore this triad. First, love flows from the fountain of a pure heart, our present motive.
Heart in the Hebrew language was used in the O.T. because there is not a word for mind or brain. To understand a word in Hebrew it is proper to define it in association with words with which it is linked.
A “pure heart” belongs only to the person made right by the right relationship with Christ. Such a heart can then manifest the fruit of the Spirit, which involves love.
Psalms 139:23, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.” In this verse heart and thoughts are linked.
Satan subtly suggests sin is a better alternative than love for the Lord as the path to the good life. The wages of sin can be quite good in today’s competitive market, but there are no benefits and retirement is pure hell.
Matthew 15:19, “For out of the heart proceedeth evil thoughts…” Thus, from Hebrew and Greek it is seen that heart and thoughts are equated. Therefore, Timothy is appealing for followers of Christ to have pure thoughts, the right motives. This is needed for:
“Out of the heart are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23).
“Man looketh on the outward appearance but God looketh upon the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).
God alone cleanses the heart (Psalms 51: 10, 11).
Pure means not double minded. It was a word used to describe purging an army of all potential traitors. It described milk with no water added to dilute it.
If there is bacteria in a substance it will grow. If there is yeast in bread it will multiply. If there is impurity of thought in a life, it will grow. The mind must be cleansed. It must be cleansed from self-centeredness if it is to have love for Christ.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” Literally, He said happy are the pure in heart. You will never find happiness apart from having an undivided mind, that is, God controlled thoughts. Only a pure heart produces love for Christ.
From Where Does Love Come – Part One
“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.” I Timothy 1: 5
Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God…”
He also said, “…love one another….”
Timothy wrote illustratively of three fountain heads of love. This is the first of two Posts on the subject. This one deals with the meaning of love, and the other the three fountain heads of love.
The meaning of the word “love” needs to be established before considering its source. “Agape” is the Greek word translated love. It is the selfless, self-giving love of God. It speaks of full loyalty to God and boundless good will to people.
Love for God prompts us to let go of whatever we are holding to and latching on to God. Let go and latch on. There is no good in holding on to anything in time of a storm if it isn’t tied down. In the storms of life the only real and sure anchor is Jesus Christ. To love Him means to let go of the unanchored objects offered by the world and latching on to Him.
A baby isn’t born knowing how to love. It is born with the capacity to love, but learns to love or hate by the way the parent relates to it. Perhaps you were deprived of one or both parents who didn’t show you proper love as an infant and loving is difficult for you. There is good news. Along comes the Heavenly Father to show us love and thereby teach us to love.
“We love Him because He first loved us” (I John 4: 19).
Once we love Him and know how He loves us, we are well on our way to knowing how to love one another. He loves us with all of our faults, frailties, and failures. How are we to love others? As He loved us.
Satan subtly wants to divert our love, if not deceive us into not loving. In the intriguing “Screwtape Letters” by C. S. Lewis Satan gives his servant Wormwood advice on how to reduce the effectiveness of Christian love. He suggests dividing a person’s life into concentric circles. The inner circle represents a person’s will. Next is the intellect. Last is one’s fantasies. It is “out there” he suggests keeping a person’s love. The deceiver says to his disciple:
“Do what you will, there is going to be some benevolence, as well as some malice, in your patient’s soul. The great thing is to direct the malice to his immediate neighbors whom he meets and to thrust his benevolence out to the remote circumference, to people he does not know.”
In other words, it is easy to talk about loving people in other countries or different locales than we. That does little good. In doing so the deceiver channels our love into lakes of unfulfillment. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor…”
Hope Lives
Do you ever feel down, maybe alone, even depressed? If so, you are not alone. Several Bible characters expressed being low, very low. Numerous great leaders throughout history have experienced such dolefulness. There is a tonic for this condition. It consists of several components. The primary factor is the pledge of the Lord, “My spirit remains with you….” There are times you may not feel that He is, but He is. The writer of Hebrews referred to Jesus as the “forerunner” of believers. The Greek word translated forerunner is “prodromos” (6: 20). In secular use it referred to the pilot of the small ship from the home port sent out to guide an incoming ship to port. The pilot knew the home port, where the deep channels were as well as where the impediments were. Thus, he could guide the incoming vessel safely to the dock.
Jesus knows how to guide us safely to the port’s haven. He knows the safe channels as well as places posing shipwrecks.
A starting point in delivery from the doldrums is to acknowledge His presence regardless of your feelings. It might even help to acknowledge you don’t feel His presence. Remind yourself He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Thank Him for His presence regardless of your feelings.
King David admitted his depression several times. In Psalm 42 he acknowledge his efforts at recovery by making an admission: “Why are you cast down?” He faced the fact and admitted it. He did not pretend to be a spiritual superhero by being pious and pretending he was never down. Admit it. God won’t get mad with you, He will understand and still love you. It is His nature, not your charm, that prompts Him to love you.
This action is a stimulus to hope. Hope isn’t a tenant in a heart that has never been broken. It resides in those that have been broken and then healed. It acts to inspire and renew. Its effect is emotionally healing.
There are only two places where there is no hope, heaven and hell. It is fulfilled in heaven, and impossible in hell. Admit the presence of the lord with you and hope will begin to emerge. Twice David cried out “Hope you in God.” Such open candor is an acknowledgment you trust God.
David declared “God is my rock.” Rocks don’t shift position, they are stable, so is Jesus. In this unstable world stable footing is needed.
In the Judean Desert rocks are often used as landmarks, like roadside signs on modern highways. Let Jesus be your stop sign when the way is hazardous. Let Him be your “Go” directional sign to show the way and time to act. Don’t neglect His “Caution” signs either.
His directional signs can build your hope and hope overcomes your heavy heartedness. Hello Sonshine. Be gone ennui.