Is love our treasure?

(Matthew 6:21) “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

At times, I find it hard to read scripture with a clear conscience. I do love and hate the way the Word of God cuts through the smoke screen of my flesh and then goes straight onto the chase to where ones heart is exposed and left bare. This text is like that, even now it cuts deep, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” All I need to do is honestly be honest with myself in all areas of my life. Sometimes in some areas of my life I may tick the box as checked, but honestly there will always be room for improvement, but those areas do not overly concern me, it is the areas that have a big cross next to them that seriously unease me. How do we measure our love for God? The beloved disciple John, the only one afforded the privileged in finding rest for his head, as he habitually lay upon the chest of the Lord Jesus and there he listened to the steady pounding of His heart beat. The pulse of life beating in his ear! It was his privilege and his alone; if anyone understood the love of God it was John and this is what he teaches on the subject; (1John 5:2) “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.”

How must our lives prove to one another that we have love one for another, what example will be evident in our lives toward the regenerate (born again children of God). The foundation of it must be our love to God, whose they are: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God,”

Our love to them appears to be sound and genuine when we love them not merely upon any secular account, because they are rich, or have knowledge, or kind to us, or have fellowship with us at the same church, but rather because they are children of God and the spirit of God dwells in them, they have also received the gift of salvation, they might differ, actually we will often differ in some areas on understanding, we must be long suffering with each other and pursue unity of the faith. (Ephesians 4:3) "Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." I agree true love will never be to the exclusion of sound doctrine as there is much of that now being bandied about within the so-called Christian ranks. "Saddleback" and the like, but that filth will only affect the goats and not the sheep; the sheep will hear their master’s voice and flee to Him.

Why must we love one another? Because it is a simple requirement from God to us and this will be a yardstick to examine own hearts, if I say I love God and cannot find love for His children, then I am liar and I deceive myself. Let the Word of God penetrate my life so that it destroys the chaff, all that opposes the will of my Father must no longer has any permission and place to my life, it must be driven far from me.

In a sense God’s children are twice His children, they are the offspring of Adam through creation, and I agree they are fallen beings, we all are, but we have been created in the image and likeness of God. They are offspring by creation and they are His sons through adoption in Christ. They all have the privilege of addressing God in this manner; “Our Father which art in heaven.” The Lord Jesus taught this!

Here is authority: If I am a Father, where is my honour? If I am a son, where is your obedience? Here we see affection mingled with authority; an authority which does not provoke rebellion; and yet my life has been filled with rebellion, why and where is it that I continuously erred? I must pin down any area of my life which in turn takes my eyes off my wonderful Saviour. This obedience is not forceful and it does not demand any hard pressed requirements that crushes me and builds resentment in my life to love God. Why then do I stubble in this area of my life? May God have mercy on my soul and on all those who in like manner need help in this area of their lives? The obedience which God’s children yield to Him must be loving obedience. This must become part of my character; I must learn to love as I have been loved. I must not go about in service to God as a slave to his taskmaster’s toil, but run in the way of His commands because it is my Father’s way. We must yield your bodies as instruments of righteousness, because righteousness is our Father’s will, and as a child who has received so much love I would now want to abide in His will, my Father’s will!

Father!-Here is honour and love. How great is a Father’s love to his children! That which friendship cannot do, and mere benevolence will not attempt, a father’s heart and hand must do for his sons. They are his offspring, he must bless them; they are his children, he must show himself strong in their defence. If an earthly father watches over his children with unceasing love and care, how much more does our heavenly Father? Abba, Father! He who can say this, hath uttered better music than cherubim or seraphim can reach. There is heaven in the depth of that word-Father! There is all I can ask; all my necessities can demand; all my wishes can desire. I have all in all to all eternity when I can say, “Father.” C.H.Spurgeon

May God open the eyes of our hearts so that all His children will have a passion of love burning bright for one another, may its flame be seen from afar off and speak sincerely resulting with our own lusts and needs dwindling into insignificance when we consider the needs for our brothers/sisters.

Words are easily voiced and even penned, it is the action to what has been penned that I pray for. Hear my cry, Abba Father; make us all more like our glorious Saviour, even Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.

Signing off

Tyrone