“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”
Ephesians 5:1-2
In 2 Timothy Paul wrote, “All Scripture is breathed out by God” As we are afforded grace and mercy we are enabled to catch the fragrance of Him in His Word. The above scripture is filled with the effervescence of God Himself; pleading and exhorting His people to live a life of walking in the same love “as Christ also hath loved us.”
May we feel the exhortation: “Walk in Love, AS Christ”
The Love of God is so deep and overwhelming that it can only be known by humanity in the person of Christ. He is the face, the personification of God. Only in our pursuit of Him, in becoming like Him are we able to dwell within Love’s domain. As we touch His Love, we can never be satisfied with simply a belief in His Love. There is an eternal drawing within those who, because of Love, cast themselves fully into His hands that He may create in them a capacity to live and walk in it.
“Having made an expiation for sins, He is set down on God’s right hand for ever. There is no more that even Immanuel can do. This is Love’s extremest effort, God’s last and greatest gift, God’s own sacrifice. Can there be any escape for those who neglect so great salvation?”
— James Hamilton.
Neglect
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him”
Hebrews 2:3
Neglect is often the result of familiarity. It is the outcome of a knowledge of Him without Him being the essence of life within. Christ is the eternal invitation to fallen man. His words and His Spirit are ever speaking to all mankind: “Come unto ME, and I will give you rest.”
The validity of His presence within our own hearts will be punctuated by a longing to know Him, to see Him, and to be cooperative with the breaking and purifying that must come for us to be “vessels of honor.”
May we touch the Spirit in which this scripture was written:
“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”
Ephesians 5:1-2
Related Post: The Nature of Love
“Come unto me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls”
Matthew 11:28-29
His yoke is our cross. Outside of His yoke, we remain untutored, unchanged, and unaffected by our knowing of Him.
“And walk in love,
as Christ also hath loved us..”
Brian Troxel
Faith functions by and is fueled and fortified with love, as is so with hope. Hope, happifying and hallowing hope of eternal salvation, neither disappoints nor deludes nor shames us because God, Who Himself Is Love, has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us. (Romans 5:5) 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that the greatest of these three, faith, hope, and love, is love. Yes, God Is Love (1 John. 4:8,16).
Galatians 5:5-6 AMP
5 For we [not relying on the Law but] through the [strength and power of the Holy] Spirit, by faith, are waiting [confidently] for the hope of righteousness [the completion of our salvation]. 6 For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through love.
Jude 21 AMP
Guard and keep yourselves in the love of God; expect and patiently wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)—[which will bring you] unto life eternal.
Early this week, I asked the intimately indwelling blessed, wondrous, enabling, ennobling Spirit of merciful grace and transforming, triumphing Truth, our ceaselessly compassionate and constant Companion, to tell me about this Jude 21 verse—that which I distinctly heard Him impress upon me was the following. Gratefully, I wrote it in my NKJ | AMP parallel Bible: Ceaselessly continue believing and being an expression, manifestation, and demonstration of the merciful love God is for you, in you and through you to others, all the Way (Jesus) unto Life Eternal.
Convinced I am that heaven-lit lovers consistently outperform, in terms of kingdom responsibility and duty, gladdening their Father’s heart, workers who are cold, “do-it-yourself truthers” and that with their Maker’s motivation, in the purity and simplicity of devotion, fervently foremost to Christ, rather than striving consciously or unconsciously to earn or deserve the affirmation and approval of our infinitely beautiful Triune God, the Ho;y Trinity of loving, living Infinity.
Ephesians 3:16-21 AMP (emphasis mine))
16 May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, 18 be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; 19 and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ WHICH far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], THAT you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with GOD HIMSELF].
20 Now to Him who is ABLE to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [INFINITELY BEYOND our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, 21 TO HIM be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Micah 6:8 AMP
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion),
And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?
Amen! Good to hear from you, hope all is well.
Blessings
BT