How can you love someone without seeing them? What is your love based on? Do you need to see someone to believe in them? How do you exercise your faith?
1 Peter 1:8-9… Though YOU never saw him, YOU love him. Though YOU are not looking upon him at present, yet YOU exercise faith in him and are greatly rejoicing with an unspeakable and glorified joy, as YOU receive the end of YOUR faith, the salvation of YOUR souls.
How is love formed? When a mother gives birth to a baby at what point in that baby’s life does it know it loves its mother?
Love is a bond, and it is deepens over a period of time. Look at the bond between a mother and its child.
A mother dedicates herself to her newborn child and this is an expression of her love. It may not be reciprocated immediately but takes time for the child to respond to this type of nurturing and care.
Sight and touch are just part of what is needed to form a bond, there is still the needs of the child that need to be meet daily.
The child first bonds and identifies with who it is that is taking care and nurturing it. The child begins to learn a fear of making the parent angry. Soon a child learns to be obedient to the parent. Next the child comes to a reality, a respect, understanding, and reasoning, it now knows the mindset of the parent.
Lastly the child is now grown up and it is hopefully a reflection yes, a true prodigy of the parent. And if the bonds of love have not been broken during that period of time the child grows up it could become loving person also. A good example is needed.
But if at some point in the development of the child that love becomes lacking or the bonds of affection are broken it is possible that the child will not grow up to be as loving of a parent as it could be. Some children have grown up just to be friends with their parents and not really loving toward them at all.
Now let’s look at friendships because friendships could lead to a greater love. A friend at first might have something in common with you. Next you might like being around this person more as time goes on. Soon you learn to start relying on this person. You begin to realize that this person is trustworthy.
Now you know he or she has got your best interest at heart even your back at times especially when you find yourself in times of need. At this point your friendship could grow into a relationship of love. You just might get a commitment from this person for marriage, but remember love does have conditions, and so do friendships.
What are some of the conditions that are important in relationships? We have Caring, Respectful, Compassionate, Understanding, Appreciative, Dedicated, Nurturing and Trustworthy just to name just a few things.
Remember love is the ultimate motivator, it is a personal attachment that you develop with deep roots of affection and feeling that bind one to another. 1 Corinthians 13:4
So, how old were you when God manifested himself to you as someone who cares? How did you know it was God? And where are you in your relationship with God today? Do you believe in the things that God tells you? Have you tested him out and found that he is true to his word? Has God allowed you to be tested?
Hebrews 11:17… By faith Abraham, when he was tested, as good as offered up Isaac, and the man that had gladly received the promises attempted to offer up [his] only begotten [son],
We know that Abraham was called God’s friend and I assure you God is not required you to offer anything more than what was asked of Abraham. Even Jesus Christ was put to the test to his death.
Hebrews 4:12-16… For the word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints and [their] marrow, and [is] able to discern thoughts and intentions of [the] heart. 13 And there is not a creation that is not manifest to his sight, but all things are naked and openly exposed to the eyes of him with whom we have an accounting. 14 Seeing, therefore, that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold onto [our] confessing of [him]. 15 For we have as high priest, not one who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tested in all respects like ourselves, but without sin. 16 Let us, therefore, approach with freeness of speech to the throne of undeserved kindness, that we may obtain mercy and find undeserved kindness for help at the right time.
Why does God allow us to be tested this way?
James 1:2-4… Consider it all joy, my brothers, when YOU meet with various trials, 3 knowing as YOU do that this tested quality of YOUR faith works out endurance. 4 But let endurance have its work complete, that YOU may be complete and sound in all respects, not lacking in anything.
God wants to know what type of faith we have! Having a strong faith is what is needed to endure hardships and the burning down that is upon us. Like the difference between grass handling a fire and a tree handling fire. I say to you become like a tree with your faith, remember your faith is more valuable than gold itself. And your faith will pass through fire.
1 Corinthians 3:13-15… each one’s work will become manifest, for the day will show it up, because it will be revealed by means of fire; and the fire itself will prove what sort of work each one’s is. If anyone’s work that he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward; if anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved; yet, if so, [it will be] as through fire.
1 Peter 1:3-9… Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for according to his great mercy he gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance. It is reserved in the heavens for YOU, 5 who are being safeguarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last period of time. 6 In this fact YOU are greatly rejoicing, though for a little while at present, if it must be, YOU have been grieved by various trials, 7 in order that the tested quality of YOUR faith, of much greater value than gold that perishes despite its being proved by fire, may be found a cause for praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though YOU never saw him, YOU love him. Though YOU are not looking upon him at present, yet YOU exercise faith in him and are greatly rejoicing with an unspeakable and glorified joy, 9 as YOU receive the end of YOUR faith, the salvation of YOUR souls.
What role does Jesus Christ play in your life? Is Jesus Christ your friend or is he more than that to you? What is it that makes him your friend? What have you done to become a friend of Jesus Christ? In what way have you reciprocated his friendship or his love?
Have you formed an attachment to him? Have you confessed that you know that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God? Have you asked God to speak with Jesus Christ?
The Scripture says that the head of every man is Christ Jesus, and the head of the Christian congregation is Jesus Christ so why would you not be able to call out to him? 1 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 5:23
The Scripture says that we should put faith in him, yet you do not talk to him so how could that be? Hebrews 4:16
You can talk to God but not Jesus? Scripture says that no man can come to the father except through Jesus Christ. John 14:6
What is it that you think Jehovah God wants you to do?
Philippians 2:5-11… Keep this mental attitude in YOU that was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although he was existing in God’s form, gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God. 7 No, but he emptied himself and took a slave’s form and came to be in the likeness of men. 8 More than that, when he found himself in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient as far as death, yes, death on a torture stake. 9 For this very reason also God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every [other] name, 10 so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground, 11 and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
If you have not done this as of now; don’t you think it’s time to get down on your knee and call out openly saying that Jesus Christ is the Lord of heaven and earth?
After all God gave him a name above all other names for all to call to him so that our Father in heaven will be glorified in are doing this.
Let each one of us take care of this necessary business before the Lord Jesus comes.
Matthew 25:31-33… When the Son of man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left…
Do you think Jesus has already come in all his glory? Then what have you been doing all this time? So, I will say to you prepare to give your answer before his throne because blessed is he who comes in Jehovah’s name!
Writingwithlogos.com – Last Updated 2/16/21