By: Fred Reid
Mainly this one is about avoiding sin. And the key to that is Love. Often it is presented to us that we have to avoid doing things that it feels natural and enjoyable to do, and the only reason why we shouldn’t do them is because they are bad. As we mature in Christ and get more knowledge we learn that sin just leads to death and on that road it tends to bring about very unfortunate circumstances. But I may have been the only one to notice that this does not make that much less appealing. If anything it just makes your sinful acts more informed which is worst. But there is hope! Staying away from sin involves having the holy spirit on the inside of you, but a large part of it also is renewing your mind and genuinely loving the Father. Which brings us to our scriptures:
John 14:15 “IF ye love me, keep my commandments”
Yea that’s in red because its Jesus that is speaking, I done got fancy on ya’ll lol But notice that He says your love for Him is exemplified by your obedience to His commandments. This may seem like a heavy task but when you think about it its good that the way to show love for Jesus is so clearly defined. As much as He does for us everything we do is on a small scale, so to know what He is looking for out of the relationship is relieving! He doesn’t say If you love me you’ll pray 5 times a day for 20 minutes, give $100 each month, give everything you have to poor people, but instead simply says obey His commandments. The other activities definitely wouldn’t hurt your cause, but the Lord is looking for people that love Him enough to make their life about Him.
What are His commandments?
Jesus explicitly states that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matt 5:17). Jesus came to live by the law because nobody else could. He showed the example of what our lives would be like if we lived the way God originally intended. He didn’t lie, fornicate, nor any of the sins that we do thus He was the example of the rules that are STILL in place. More plainly explained:
Matt 22:36-40 “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
I didn’t write it, it’s in your bibles!” That’s from that Stuff that Preacher’s say video lol but Jesus tells it is MOST important that we love God will ALL that we have and furthermore that all the other commandments are encompassed in that love for the Almighty. Loving God with your all your heart will allow you to love your neighbor as yourself. Loving God with all your heart will keep you from stealing, drinking, smoking, lusting, coveting, gossiping etc. Seems to simple huh? Let’s make it real. Think of someone you love, a parent, significant other, or a friend; would you purposely do things that 1.) you know they don’t want you to do or 2) hurts their heart to see/know you’re doing? Even if it is something that you enjoy doing you will SACRIFICE your ways for one’s that are pleasing to them..if you love them enough. How much more than should we love and sacrifice for God? He did sacrifice and apply a WORLD’s worth of sin upon His holy word on a cross..He’s already sacrificed…our turn.
Over and Out J
Conclusion: Sin will ALWAYS be appealing. It WILL always present itself. It will always pull; even if it is a very weak pull it’ll still pull BUT love Jesus enough to deny yourself and obey His commandments. There are blessings in Christ Jesus. Loving Him means keeping His commandments, the greatest commandment He gave us is to love Him and He’ll take care of us nice how that works right?
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