• January 17, 2008
Christ-love
Vertical love is true love; it’s the connection between us and God. It involves Christ’s love towards us, and our response. It’s a two-way relationship that, like all other relationships, requires maintenance on our part. However, it is the only kind of relationship where the other party will never leave or stop loving us. He’s always there waiting with open arms.
“Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.” Deuteronomy 6:4-6 NASB
God’s love is unconditional. Never changing, always the same. All you have to do is accept it. He sent the Gift, His only Son, Jesus Christ. You must accept His gift of salvation. As a Christian, His love for you cannot be severed by a sin, a mistake. It simply needs to be confessed. His love is also eternal for His children, born-again Christians. Once you accept Him as your personal Savior, He prepares a place for you in heaven.
God manifests his love in two ways, through punishment and His saving grace. You may be wondering how punishment fits into this puzzle. I’d never thought about it before, but these scriptures changed my perspective.
Proverbs 3:12 NASB “For whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights…”
Revelation 3:19 NASB “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”
You see, discipline is not entirely about justice. But, love isn’t all about discipline. God also manifests his love through his saving grace and mercy. John 3:16 says that God “So loved the world that He sent his only begotten son.”
Salvation is not doing good things, salvation is not just infant baptism. Salvation does not require prayers to anyone other than God. Salvation cannot be altered by money or material things. Salvation is you admitting you are a sinner in need of a Savior, believing that Jesus is that savior, and committing your life to the Lord.
This wonderful love deserves a response. We need to love Christ above anything else, we need to spread His love, and we need to keep Him as our first love.
Exodus 20:4-6 NASB “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
Matthew 28:19-20 NASB “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Revelation 2:4 NASB “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Referring to Christ)
The people of this world have left their first love, Jesus Christ. In the last days, this will continue. If we are to love the people around us, our first love needs to be Christ. When we love ourselves first, we don’t have motivation to love others. If we love others first, we don’t make time for Christ. Love Christ first, and He’ll give you compassion for others, and He’ll see to your needs as well. Christ-love is the foundation for horizontal love.
The Princess
Comments
• January 18, 2008
Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous
Wonderful post! I really appreciate you expanding on these subjects. It's been very encouraging to me.
I have a suggestion on a better way to define Salvation. I agree wholly with your statements about what Salvation is NOT. But the thing you said it IS could be categorized as something YOU DO. Putting your faith in Jesus Christ is an action, which is something you said salvation is not (if I understand you correctly).
Salvation is a Person, and that person is Jesus Christ. If you have JESUS, you have Salvation. That just seems to me a better way to put it.
~Anon
• January 19, 2008
Untitled Comment
Posted by sweetpotato
Good, thought-provoking post. I like the way you worked the gospel into it. I have been learning lately in my own life how hard it is not to let other things slip in front of my love for God. It's a difficult concept to put into practice.
• January 20, 2008
that was amazing
Posted by cheekymonkey
that was an amazing entry. Its so important for me to remember that god is my true love and that he loves me unconditionally.
xoxo
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