May the mumbling commence!
I have seen enough youth athletic events to know for certain that there are many fathers and mothers and uncles and aunts who are trying to live their life through a son or daughter or nephew or niece. Who are you living your life for? If someone to live their life through you, who would you want it to be?
The simple answer for Christians is that they would like Christ to live through them. And, it is possible – with the right attitudes, thoughts, words and actions. Read from First John chapter four:
We ourselves are eye-witnesses able and willing to testify to the fact that the Father did send the Son to save the world. Everyone who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God lives in him, and he lives in God. So we have come to know and trust the love God has for us.
God is love, and the man whose life is lived in love does, in fact, live in God, and God does, in fact, live in him. So our love for him grows more and more, filling us with complete confidence for the day when he shall judge all men – for we realize that our life in this world is actually his life lived in us. Love contains no fear – indeed fully-developed love expels every particle of fear, for fear always contains some of the torture of feeling guilty. This means that the man who lives in fear has not yet had his love perfected. (Verses 14-18)
What forms us to allow Christ to live through us? It is all about love. Live your life in love, and you will live in God – for God is love.
And love does not stagnate. It continues to grow and grow. Knows that the debt of love is NEVER paid in full.
In this loving way, Christ lives through us and we reveal the Father to all who come across our path.
And make no mistake about it. Love demands risk-taking. Love contains risks but no fear. There is no fear in love because all love comes from above – from God. Love from God is perfect and will perfect us through trials and time.
In case you missed it, love is essential to the Christian life. Christians will be known for their love – not for who or what they hate. We can find this essential message in Second John:
I was overjoyed to find some of your children living the life of truth, as the Father himself instructed us. I beg you now, dear lady, not as though I were issuing any new order but simply reminding you of the original one, to see that we continue to love one another. Real love means obeying the Father's orders, and you have known from the beginning that you must live in obedience to him. (Verses 4-6)
In this life, we often hear of truth and obedience. Both of these have as their foundation love. Never doubt it. If we strive for truth and obedience and neglect love, we fail – epically.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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