Christian Living

Jesus's Love is All inclusive and for anyone who believes

by Lorraine Taylor
02/26/20
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"If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." Galatians 5:25

There is so much practicality to this scripture. When we are abiding in the Spirit way of being, we are growing in our understanding of how we are to step into our spiritual clothing as opposed to our fleshly one. When we are learning (a lifelong process) to respond from the Spirit-life within us, we are denying our own human inclination in reacting to and with others.

This requires a certain maturity in discernment, and this comes with time and takes many years to develop. We do not grow from babies in Christ to mature Christians quickly.

The growth that flows from our personal relationship in Christ happens as we willingly choose His life over our own way, step by step, day by day. This process of growing and maturing is a gradual one. In the space between where we are in our faith and where God is moving us is our emotional realm, are those places where growth takes place.

Often growth and maturity happen in pain and suffering. Sometimes, we can only see our growth in hindsight after tough experiences that press us in grueling physical, mental, and emotional responses, and we pass through the fires of God's glory.

When we are walking in the hidden places in the unknown, the unfamiliar, and the obscured not knowing, we are responding on an emotional level to those situations and circumstances. This walking in the Spirit is as much about letting go, surrendering, and releasing those stuck emotional responses we may be harboring when offenses or misunderstandings come, and we find no way to address these.

In those places, we are being stretched spiritually, beyond our own human capacity to endure the often trying times we experience. In this stretching, we are learning to continually turn our thoughts and attentions to the Spirit-life of Christ as our source.

It is the Spirit who becomes our guiding light shining the way in the valleys and ruts of this life. This growth in our capacity to be discerning is key in guiding us to connect in godly relationships and to steer us away from those persons in the body whose outward appearance is seemingly one of a believer, but whose inward persona is the wolf hiding in plain sight.

If we are readily trusting whatever someone tells us without filtering it through the Spirit-life, we will be prone to falling prey to the wiles of the evil that is so prevalent inside and outside our churches and fellowships.

Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, is an authentic believer, and we must guard our spiritual life above everything and take as an essential necessity, spending alone time each day with God. And to throughout the day, attentive to what God is desiring, reflecting on some scripture and communing in the Spirit-life as we go about our day to day tasks, is walking in the Spirit.

This scripture means more than just words to glibly quote to one another, but it is leading us deeper, nearer, and broader in the narrow path of faith and belief as we live out our Christian principles.

When we take this life seriously as believers in evaluating and assessing our own spiritual depth, we are less likely to be pointing fingers in judgemental and harmful ways towards others.

Last time I knew, I am not the judge, jury, and executioner of another's persons spiritual life. Last time I read my bible, that is God's role and not mine. My role is to abide in this Spirit-life and to love above any other doctrine, dogma, or denominational preferences. My allegiance is to Christ and Christ alone - not to human-made religious rules.

Now I do not take my duty lightly to respect, honor, and show compassionate caring when interacting with others, but love means being able to speak the truth when offenses come, and they will come. Love means being able to establish boundaries of what I do allow and don't allow in how others treat me.

Love means I will prefer the Spirit's desires above my own, and I will learn to grow in being other-centered. Love does not mean to be a doormat to everyone else irresponsibility in conduct, overstepping bounds, or misusing, mistreating, or abusive actions towards me. Love does not mean anything goes sort of believing.

If we are to take the teachings of Christ seriously, we will take the Biblical way seriously in addressing issues in establishing structure and in being accountable to and with one another.

This accountability calls us all to a higher level of responsibility that we do not serve alone, nor are we lone rangers in this walk alone. If we take the call of Christ and the way of the Cross seriously, we will live in obedience to the Spirit above any leader, pastor, teacher, and/or authoritarian figure in how we conduct ourselves. If we find ourselves unable to address issues in the Christ way in a Christian gathering or fellowship, then something is awry.

Sincerity and genuine motivations stem from our personal relationship with Christ, and when we are following God's heart in the way we interact with others, we are lending our heart (will, choice, decisions) to His binding ourselves in the direction of the Spirit who is the way of love.

All this to say we as the body of believers, whether we attend a building called a church or not, are to rely upon, depend and lend our own flesh inclinations to the Spirit in allowing the resurrection power of Christ to move in passing through our human failures to be His heart in this world. In this, we are being stretched beyond what we want to do, beyond our own capacity.

We are stretched beyond what is possible in our human inability. We are giving preference in all situations, in all circumstances, and in all relationships in what God desires as our highest calling.

This is the life of faith lived out in the uncomfortableness, in the doubting, in the emotional responses we have been created to express, that in each moment the gift of life in us is desiring to express and manifest His fullness wherever we walk, wherever we travel and wherever we fellowship.

We have to be willing to let go of relationships. If called to, we must be willing to let go of where we fellowship. Let go of all that entangles us in this world. To obey walking in the way of the Spirit and the call to love above anything or any person requires self-sacrifice. Love disciplines.

Love requires submission. Love is accountable. Love is responsible. Love has boundaries. Love is sincere motivation. Love is genuineness. Love is honesty. Love is truthfulness. Love offers a way of being that is antithetical to the worldly way. Love is authenticity. Love is vulnerable.

Love is God's activity flowing through our human inability, weaknesses, and frailty.

God's activity glorifies His person and brings about His purposes and intentions. Love is more than we know, more than we comprehend and more than we are and the mysterious yet to be revealed as we grow in this spirit lfie are unlimited.

God's activity glorifies His person and brings about His purposes and intentions --- which are centered in an inner attitude of the all-inclusive foundational FREE Love Jesus Christ offers to anyone who believes.

We live out this love in our personal relationship with the Triune Godhead.

We live out this love in the relationships we nurture and foster.

We live out this love among believers and unbelievers in the closeness of community. In God's kingdom, There are No exceptions and there are No exclusions of who can recieve this love!