“The goal of this
command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a
sincere faith.” 1 Timothy 1:5
As Christians, we are often told to love. We
are told to love as Christ loves us.
Yet, we are not truly told how to love.
How do we change our lives in order to have more love? We must come to the realization that love is
a choice, we choose to love or not to love those around us. So where does this choice of love come from?
First, loving as Christ loves comes from a
pure heart with no unforgiveness, no hatred or anger, and no bitterness. If we keep these things in our heart, there
is no longer room for Christ and His love, and without His love in our hearts,
we cannot love as He loves.
Second, love comes from a heart that has
not been corrupted by the world and its sinful desires. This is not to say that we will never be
exposed to the world, but we cannot allow ourselves to be swept up by the
world. Romans 12:2 says not to conform to the patterns of this world, but to
be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
We must possess a heart and mind that has been cleansed, and is
continually cleansed by the reading of God’s word.
Third, according to our scripture 1
Timothy 1:5, love comes from a good conscience. This can mean a conscience that
is not burdened by secret sins not given up to the Lord, a conscience that
knows the right thing to do and does it; one that knows the Word because it has
spent time daily in it and with God. How
can we focus on God if we are too afraid of Him discovering some sin that has
not been given to Him? If we will only
ask His forgiveness and repent (which means to never go back) He will be
faithful and forgive us. Only then can we possess a clear conscience and draw
nearer to our creator so that we might love as He loves.
And finally, love comes from a sincere
faith, a faith that can move mountains, and cannot be shaken. “Faith
is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen” (Hebrews
11:1). So if love is a choice, it is
like faith. Even though we may not “feel”
love, we choose to love, just as with faith, even though we cannot yet see, we
choose to believe. This is where our love
as Christians comes from. It comes from
a pure heart, a heart that has not been corrupted, a clear conscience, and a
sincere faith. In order to love as
Christ loves us, we must learn these qualities.
We can begin by seeking God and asking Him to help us in these
areas. We must continue to spend time in
His Word and presence so that we might grow closer to Him, grow in faith, and
grow in love.
Dear God,
I
ask that you would show us how to cleanse our hearts and make us pure like
you. Help our faith in you to
continually grow everyday so that we can be a light in this present darkness by
showing the world your love. Help our
conscience to be good and right. Speak
to and through us, your children. Give
us the love you have for others so that we might reach the lost.
Amen
