One Thing Needful

The gospel is the good news of God’s love. His love is the power of the gospel. The cross is the proof of God’s love. My repentance and acceptance of His free gift of salvation acknowledges that love and is the first expression of my love for Him. What motivates my love for God? I love Him because He first loved me. My love for Him is ignited by His love for me. The more I comprehend His love, the more I will love Him in return. The more I know Him, the more I will comprehend His love. The more I spend time with Him–listening to Him and gazing on His beauty, the more I will know Him. The more time I spend with Him, the more I will become like Him. The more I become like Him, the more I will love Him. The more I love Him, the more I will love others because His love will flow from me. When this happens, the law will be fulfilled in me. When love motivates my every action, I will not live in violation of His commands. So, if I want to keep His commands, I must look to Him and live continually remembering His great love for me. This is how I “abide” in His love. This is how I “keep myself in His love.” This is how I “stand fast in the liberty,” because He has set me free from the law with all its rules and regulations. I no longer have to live by a set of rules, but I live by the law of love–which means His love. It means I look to Him. It means I listen to Him. It means I am led by His Spirit. The motivation of my heart is His love. This is how to live a blameless life. The is how our hearts are blameless before Him. This is what it means to seek first His Kingdom. His Kingdom is the Kingdom of Love, and He is the King of Love.

God is glorified when I prove to be His disciple, that is His follower. The proof of my discipleship is in producing much fruit. If I’m connected to the Vine, I will bear fruit. If I’m “pruned” by the application of the Word of God to my life, I will bear more fruit. If through communion with Christ I make and receive requests, I will bear much fruit.

Producing much fruit is the way I complete the work the Father gives me to do. The work of God is to believe in the Son. The Father is glorified when Jesus works through me by answering my prayers. The result of answered prayers is that Jesus does greater works collectively through me and other believers now than He did while on earth. When Jesus who is the ultimate expression of the power and name of God is able to do greater works through us, God is glorified. God’s glory is manifested when His power is shown and His name known. I prove to be a follower of Christ when I show His power and make His name known. I make His name known when I show His power. His power is shown in me when He answers my prayers. Not just prayers for things I can touch and hold, but more specifically prayers for His power (strength, wisdom, etc.) that enables me to do His will. It’s interesting to note that immediately following the departure of Judas at the last supper, Jesus spoke these words: “Now, the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.” (John 13:31) “Now”…in betrayal…in something that at the moment doesn’t look like glory. This tells me when difficulties arise from doing the will of God, there is a purpose greater than me. When I entrust myself to the faithful Creator in submission, He is glorified. When I ask, and believe, and receive what I need to accomplish His will, not only am I doing the work of God but I’m completing His work, I’m cooperating with the work Christ is doing to conform me to His image, I’m bearing much fruit, I’m proving to be His disciple, and I’m fulfilling God’s purpose for my life which is to be conformed to the image of Christ.

Rooted in my asking and believing must be an understanding of the will of God as revealed in His Word by the Holy Spirit through communion with the Father. The Holy Spirit guides me into all Truth. The Holy Spirit speaks what He hears from Christ. The Holy Spirit takes from what is Christ’s (which is everything the Father has) and declares it to me. The Holy Spirit declares to me what is to come. The Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God and knows His concerns. I have received the Holy Spirit in order to know what has been freely given to me by God. When in my weakness I don’t know what to pray for as I should, the Holy Spirit intercedes for me according to the will of God. I am able to discern the will of the Father only when I’m sincerely seeking (that is, searching as for something hidden) His will and not my own. So, my ability to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit with accuracy is determined by the diligence with which I seach for God’s will. The diligence with which I search for God’s will is directly connected to the purity of my heart and mind. The purity of my heart and mind is dependant upon both my hearing and welcoming the Word into my heart. When I not only hear but welcome, or receive the Word implanted in my heart I become not only a hearer, but a doer of the Word who will be blessed in what I do. My willingness to seek the Father’s will and become a doer who acts upon that will is the measure by which I receive revelation from God that in turn produces much fruit that glorifies the Father.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: John 15:8, 2-4; 6:29; 14:12-13; 16:13-14; I Cor. 2:10, 12; John 5:30; James 1: 22-25; Mark 4:20-25

But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trepasses. By grace you are saved! He also raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7

Love by nature is giving. Love does for others. God is love. God lavishes His love on us because love is His nature, His character. Because He is love itself, He created man–not simply because He wanted fellowship, but because love must be lavished on someone to be satisfied. His desire for fellowship was because of His great love. He created man in His image with the capacity to love. He placed the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the center of the garden knowing the love He desired from man in return must come willingly or it would not be true love. Giving them an instruction to obey was the first test of love. Giving man a choice was the first step to purifying man’s love for God. God’s entire plan through the ages has been about bringing a people to Himself who not only loves Him purely and whole-heartedly, but a people on whom He can lavish His love for eternity.

I used to think God loves us because He created us, but now I see God created us to satisfy His great love. He created us solely to be the object of His love and affection. That’s why love is the greatest command, the pinacle of Christian virtue.

Lord, mold me and shape me by Your love. Give me a heart like Yours to return Your love and to be a conduit of Your love to others.