At the heart of any Christian, there should be love. After all, in I John 4:8, we are told that God is love. If we don’t have His love flowing through us, we are not His.
I John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
All that we do must be done out of love for God. If we love God, we will love the things he loves. He loves people, and we are to love all people, not just those who are like us, but all people. We are to show hospitality to others. It’s not about making a show with the most sumptuous meal or the best decorations. It’s about giving to others with a heart of love. It’s about letting others know that you are willing to work to show your love. In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Then, in John 15:10, he said, “If we keep His commandments, we will abide in His love.” Then, he went a step further and gave us an example of Himself keeping His Father’s commandments. He not only told us to do something, He did it himself.
John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”
What are some ways we can keep His commandments? We are to be faithful to the things he loves. He loves for you to worship. He loves for us to worship corporately, and he commands it in Hebrews 10:25.
Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
He desires for us to spend time together worshiping Him. We should encourage each other to serve more. We are to exhort one another and admonish each other. To exhort is to strongly encourage. To admonish is to warn or notify someone of a fault; it is to gently or kindly but seriously reprove them. For you to follow these commands from Christ, you must know the person. His intent is for us to love one another so much that we are helping one another to be more like Him. The church is the chief way to get to know other brothers and sisters in Christ. Through the church, the world sees Christ. Whatever the church projects, it gives them a picture of Christ. If we are not faithful or living a sloppy Christian life, we are projecting the wrong image of Christ.
We also need to take part in the things the local church sponsors. We each need to pitch in and do our part for the church to have successful ministries. Showing up and warming a seat is not enough. We must be busy with our Father’s business, just as Jesus was when He walked the earth. Once we are saved, we are left here to do His business. We are to be a light to all who are in our path. Jesus didn’t leave us here just to enjoy what He created or to pile up things for our benefit. If that were the purpose of our lives after salvation, He would have taken us on to Heaven. The enjoyment and things there cannot be compared to earth. He leaves us here to be an example of Him to a lost world, and we are to corporately promote Him to the world.
Luke 2:49 “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Did ye not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”
So, what is the heart of a Christian? It is having a love for Christ so deep that it drives every part of our lives. We love the things He loves and hate the things He hates. We show that love by doing what He has commanded us to do. We are to be faithful to Him in every aspect of our lives. We are to remember that wherever we are, we represent Him. If we are home, we represent Him to our family members.
We are to follow His commands to “feed His sheep.” Though Jesus directed this to Peter, a disciple and preacher, the command applies to all who are His. While the pastor has the responsibility to spiritually feed the church, we have a responsibility to do the same for those around us. The word “feed” means caring for, guiding, and protecting, as a shepherd cares for his sheep. The shepherd is to protect them from danger and do whatever is necessary to keep them safe, even to the point of sometimes breaking their leg to ensure they don’t wander off into danger. We are to love and care for one another this way, especially to those young in the faith.
John 21:16 “He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”
A heart of love will do whatever is best for those in the “family” to ensure they become more like Jesus. A heart of love shows in our actions and words. I John 3:16-18 makes this very clear. If you are a true Christian, you should seek to allow love to govern all you do. Your love for Christ must flow from serving Him to serving others.
I John 3:16-18 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother has a need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
excellent