“He turned to this woman and said… Do you see this woman? I cam into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little, loves little. Then Jesus said to her, ‘your sins are forgiven.”
- Luke 7:44-48
Having been loved, we love, and we love to the degree we recognize our need for forgiveness and the depth of the love that we have been loved with being forgiven. And, having been loved and forgiven to that degree, we love to the same degree - the way we love will then not only be to the degree we recognize our need for forgiveness and having been loved that way, but our love for Jesus and others will also be as sincere as our gratitude is sincere for having been forgiven.
With that, we are to not only love then, but express a sincere love, a love, that reflects that sincere gratitude, that recognition of having been forgiven, and forgiven much, that that love, that sincere love, would be much, and is as dedicated to the welfare of the one loved, as Jesus love was dedicated to me - our love now stemming from our sincere and heartfelt gratitude to God for His sincerely loving, me. (Rom 12:1-2; Heb 12:28)
”Love must be sincere…” Romans 12:9
How can we love in this way?
By recognizing and tapping into the true source of our joy and life… that of being rooted and established in Jesus, His Person, the forgiveness of our sin - His saving work, by His sincere love - then fostering this relationship by walking in close communion with Him.
As recipients of this gracious gift of life, we must work to remember that it is by Him, and through Him, and to Him, that we have been made citizens in the kingdom of God, and with that in mind, we need to guard our hearts, being careful to not merely focus on and enjoy the benefits of the kingdom - but to rejoice, first and foremost, in our being saved
”The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” -Luke 10:17-20
To whom will this message resonate? To anyone who has the Holy Spirit, a relationship with Jesus as they have recognized their poverty - their need; they mourn over their sin, and the sin of the world, and are therefore eternally and profoundly grateful for what it is they’ve received.
What might this deeper understanding do for me? It will cause me to reflect, to examine, to search again, for the treasure that I have and the treasure that I’m continually offered. To appreciate, even celebrate, this incredible gift of grace I’ve been given and is enriched each and every time He and I commune...
So, what does this mean for me?
Jesus' work was to restore us to our Father’s gracious intentions - that through Jesus’ redemptive work we would be restored to working with Him for the care of His creation and making. With that restoration, God has in essence, re-established in me, in us, our once given, dominion. In Jesus, we have been granted dominion in one world, my world, that world in and for which I am responsible.
Dominion!
Yes! In Jesus, we have been reconciled to our Father - and (to our renewed) responsibility in and for the kingdom! First, by having been made in the image and likeness of God, as God gave mankind the gift of overseer and caregiver of this world, His world, and with Him, our world - and that, under the umbrella of His sovereignty, mankind was to rule. But sin tangled all of that up - until, Jesus. THIS IS SOOOO GOOD!!
STOP!! Wait a minute! What do you mean by “given dominion”? What IS dominion and why would God “trust us” with it?
“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” - Genesis 1:28
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” - Genesis 2:15
But, there arose a problem - sin: expressed as a desire to go beyond dominion with God, but in fact, a rebellious attempt to usurp God, and replace His gracious sovereignty in and over our lives, with our own self-rule, or self-sovereignty - me, my, mine, in place of God - ruling oneself without God’s intervention… after God had given them everything that was good and life-giving…
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” - Genesis 3:6
...even wanting sovereignty, to be able to rule one’s self, alone, the man and woman even wanted to rule over their own care and covering… their, our, inadequate attempt to try and save - self. “I got this… no, really, I got this”
“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” - Genesis 3:7
So, what’s changed?! God, rebelled against, aching in the loss, did not extinguish His beloved, but instead granted mercy, a clemency of sorts… and set a plan in motion to come and get us and restore us…
So, second, being created… In Jesus, having received his offer of life in Him and surrendering to His sovereignty, His Lordship, I have, by His grace, been restored to dominion - which is accompanied by true and real free will. So, now, in Christ, I have a true and actual choice: righteous or not righteous. As this is the only choice that truly matters.
As I have come to Jesus, freed by His mercy and grace, He has given me rule, or dominion, over my life, my choices, whether I will act on the love, the righteousness, the very goodness, He, and His Spirit in me has made me to act on.
To whom will I give my affection, my allegiance, my attention…
And because I now have a choice, I must decide who and what I will entertain and indulge, who and what it is I will follow, emulate, align myself with, and give my allegiance and affection to. This is what Paul is referring to when he admonishes us in regard to who and whose we are and instructs on the choosing of the course of our lives - here - in this world, with the dominion, I am granted (having had it restored in Jesus) in “my” part of it.
This dominion necessitates something for it to not become a repeat of the Garden’s sin of self-sovereignty - and that is co-operation. That is what God granted in the beginning, and now, restores to us in Jesus. Our choice looks like this:
Walk with God, the Spirit and eat from the tree of life - Jesus - bearing the fruit of that spirit (Gal 5:22-23)
Walk in the way of the flesh according to the ways of this world, forgoing the Spirit, and eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil - the desires of the flesh, or, our humanity. (Gal 5:16-21)
It is in this world, the world given to me, and for which I am responsible, that in order for me to “love AS” and do so sincerely, I must co-operate with the Holy Spirit to govern me and my responses. This is not only true in how I act in and toward the world itself but even more importantly, how I act with and toward the “worlds” of others who intersect with mine - remembering that world that is mine, is not just mine, but God’s and mine - together. To cooperate I must recognize these truths - As...
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Gal 2:20
...and,“...it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Phil 2:13 ...and,
I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13
...all...“...because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Rom 5:5
Now I can, and must, in order to “walk in the way of love”, walk with, or, entertain and indulge, or, co-operate with, the Holy Spirit
This co-operation, that enables me to love AS Jesus has loved me and to do this with a sincere love is a matter of the furthering and repeated surrendering of my life, my world, my dominion, to Jesus’ sovereignty as King, or, Lord.
This choice is the choice, first and foremost, to love God with a humbled and astonished heart of gratefulness. To not obey the commands of God, to not bow to his sovereignty, to choose to not sincerely love AS is to undervalue or underappreciate His love - for me, and them. It is to forget that we have been loved, and how. It is to take for granted being loved and go on as if… (Luke 7:36-50, 1John 2:53-11; 4:7-12,16-21)
In being granted dominion
I have been given choice, the freedom to choose to indulge my flesh or the Spirit. This all has to do with… my love and love’s affection
Who or what I choose to love, to indulge - my flesh or the Holy Spirit and the righteous goodness I have been made to be
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ...Love your neighbor AS you yourself” -Galatians 5:13-14
Here are some of the choices we get to make - to love or not love; to love AS Jesus loved me, or to love as I prefer; to love sincerely, or merely put up with and go through the motions, or, to not love at all.
Some of those real-life choices being…
What I will eat and drink - only bread or the word of God; what I want, or what will bless and edify others?
“He humbled you, and in your hunger, He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Luke 4:4 (Deut 8:3); Ephesians 5:26; Heb 6:7; Ex 17:6; Rom 14; 1Cor 10:3-4; 12:7,18,25; 13; 14:26; Eph 4:7,12; Phil 2:3-8)
What I will wear - tattered and stained clothes or a robe of righteousness (Jude 1:23; Rev 3:4; Isa 61:10; Colossians 3)
“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Isa 61:10
I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead… Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God… But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.” Rev 3:1-4
Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight… submitting themselves…” ultimately to God’s will and purposes 1Peter 3:3-5
How I will speak about and to others - unwholesome and disparaging, empty and idle, or edifying and encouraging, loving and gracious (Eph 4; Col 4:6; Rom 14:9; 15:2)
“The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.” Matt 12:35-37
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Eph 4:29
“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Col 4:6
How I will treat others - don’t do to anyone what you would not have them do to you or do unto others… OR “Do to others AS…” Luke 6:31; Col 3; Jude 1:2 Christianity is the only religion that calls us to the blessing. DO UNTO OTHERS as you would have them do. Many religions have a similar philosophy, but its charge is NOT TO do to others as you would not want them to do….
“But to you who are listening, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” - Luke 6:27-31
With what are we to clothe ourselves?
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:12-17
This love not only loves its enemies but also, sincerely and carefully, takes into consideration the heart and soul of the other - yes, an enemy, but also a brother or sister. This sincere love, chooses, out of a moral preference, to seek to please the one loved, not desiring to hurt or harm. This takes wisdom - the seeking and development of knowledge, insight, discernment, discretion, understanding, and the kind of Godly wisdom that is governed by that consideration - that is prudence - and then lovingly enacted with wisdom, consideration, caring. (Prov 1;2;8) Sincere, love.
“Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself” - Romans 15:2-3
It is not enough to “not do bad” or even to “do good”. Even the secular/ pagan do this.
But, it is ours to “do the good work prepared in advance for me to do”, being created in Christ Jesus, filled with His Spirit of Love, I am to strive with Jesus in such a way that produces in and from me the fruit of righteousness - that Spirit - and live a life of Christ’s love - doing unto others - the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, for the right reason, with the right manner. Christ Jesus, may I have eyes to see and a heart to know the good works you have prepared for me to do!
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God… Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Eph 5:1-2, 15-20
When we’re struggling there are three things we need to ask ourselves
1.) Am I in sin?
2.) Am I not abiding with Christ closely
3.) Is this a season that God is testing me?