Walk in Love

This transcription is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture that encourages rejecting fear and embracing faith. It emphasizes the importance of walking in love and treating others with kindness and respect. The speaker discusses the negative influences of social media and society on our thoughts and actions, and highlights the need to align our lives with God's will. The transcript also emphasizes the significance of valuing ourselves and others, and finding our purpose in worshiping and glorifying God. It concludes with the reminder that God loves us unconditionally and that His love casts out fear. Welcome to Fear No Fear. Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embrace you today. This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture. We reject fear in any and all forms. Fear is a spiritual force, the currency of darkness and ignorance. It's what we inherited when Adam gave up his faith and Satan uses it to keep people down. His only weapon is words. If he can get you believing or looking at words of fear, he's got you. Instead, we champion faith as an allegiance to God, as a belief and trust and loyalty to the Lord God Almighty. We accept the evidence of his word as unvarnished truth, as is, just as it's written. We get close to his perfect love through the word, and perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4.18 All scripture is taken from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Visit eBible.org 2 Colossians 3.14-15 Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. Walking in love is not the way that the world works. If you take 20 minutes and scroll through social media, you will get a cross-section of humanity. Yes, there will be those who are screamingly negative, and yes, there are those who are just sharing a snippet of their day. But the rest, if you think about it, may surprise you. There will be things that make you laugh. Humor. But it's humor at the expense of someone. Affirmations. But they will be promoting an immoral, by God's standards, lifestyle or activity. Celebrations of great moments in the careers of entertainers. But if you look at it, you'll see thousands upon thousands of people throwing their energy and adulation at another human. I've seen shots of a crowd at huge concerts with their hands up, tears streaming down their faces, eyes closed and literally worshipping the music and the artist making it. You'll see sexualized images, male and female, designed to make you tingle and think naughty thoughts about them. You'll find mean-spirited, practical jokes, often portrayed as humor. You'll see talking down, fear-mongering, and subtle messages of you're not enough hidden inside videos for health practices and products. All of this is very indicative of how the human mind functions on its own. All of it is unhealthy. None of it is walking in love, except maybe those few people just sharing a moment of beauty in their lives to celebrate a feeling of nice and what their eggs look like. What about family? Well, I try and encourage my kids and live by the principle that they need to be built up and made to feel they have the chance to do anything that they put their minds to study and work at. How many times a day do I have to catch myself phrasing something in a negative way, having to go and apologize to them for something I said or did, apologize that I didn't listen or that I cut them off, having to drop what I'm doing or need to accomplish in order to go back and say, I didn't hear all of that. You have my attention now. Please repeat yourself. Making sure to hold myself to the same standard as I do them. There are days I feel the negative far outweighs the positive, and that's with me trying to be positive with them. Then you head out into the world, the people in traffic with me, at the stores, the clerks, waitstaff, thank tellers, and people on the phone lines. Whether I mean to or not, am I treating them right? Am I blaming them for their behavior, behavior I do myself? Am I blaming them for things that are not their fault or their problem? Am I projecting my frustration onto them? Am I doing good by them or am I being negative? Am I building them up or am I contributing to yet another moment where they feel less than how God meant them to feel? Feelings aren't real. But if that is all the input you're getting, then sooner or later you'll start believing it. If you're not hearing an alternate choice, you start thinking your feelings are reality, and maybe even that reality needs to bend a knee to your feelings. Sadly, substance abuse, medical science, social constructs, and the internet all have ways to help you do just that. But why live a lie? Why choose less than what is true? A lesson we can take from all this is that human beings are selfish. We all have the idea that what we want, we feel, or we think matters, as if we individually are important. We all are simply following the patterns laid out by society, even the ones that buck the trends or break out of the mold. None of us are here so that we can accomplish something in ourselves. None of us are here to make a difference. None of us are here to think great thinky thoughts. None of us are here to live life, do the things, raise the next generation, relationship with someone, and then retire into peace and enjoyment. None of this is our purpose. All of this is man-made. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for by Him all things were created in the heavens and on the earth, visible things and invisible things, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together. Colossians 1, 15-17 We were made for God. We're here to do what He set before us. We're here to worship Him. We're here to bring glory to His name in all that we do or say. We're meant to be in Jesus because by Jesus, through Jesus, and for Jesus, we do all that we do. This is our purpose. This is the meaning of life. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3, 17 If we do that, we'll keep the two greatest commandments. And if we do that, we'll walk in peace because it is by those commandments that walking in peace is possible. A second likewise is this. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22, 39 This is walking in peace. Treating those around us as, no matter who they are, as important as ourselves. Considering how selfish humanity is on its own, this is huge. Do you place the thoughts of others beside yours? Do they have the same weight and importance? Are you always considering what they say or are you always telling them how wrong they are? Are you always offering others the largest piece of cake, the last cookie? Do we share with others the bounty that we are blessed with? Do we enable them to succeed even if it means that maybe we won't get that promotion we wanted? Are we enriching the lives of those we come into contact with or do they cringe when they see us coming? Are we sharing our beliefs, ideals and opinions or are we forcing others to live according to our standards? This is one reason why the enemy makes such heavy attacks on our idea of self. If he can get us to dislike ourselves or hate ourselves, we will automatically devalue others. If the being that I am, the thoughts, senses and feelings by which I experience life, if that being has no value, then how can I value something that is outside of myself? How can I treat them with honor? If I don't care how I feel, how can I care how they feel? It is only a mentally healthy person who is able to gauge the value of themselves or others with clarity. Unfortunately, the world is so twisted and bent, only renewal of our minds by the Word can bring us into true mental health. Only through the Lord can we see the truth because He is truth. Renewing our minds also brings to us a servant attitude because that is what Jesus had. We learn humbleness because we are all nothing compared to the Lord, Jeremiah 10, 6-7. In Him we have our worth, Galatians 2.20. If we have worth in Jesus and in the eyes of the Father, then everyone else does too. No matter what we see, the Father sees Jesus in them. The Father sees their hearts, their innermost thoughts, the secret them that they show to no one else. He sees their beauty. He sees their worth. He likes them. He values them. He wants them to contribute to the splendor of the kingdom. Since that is true, shouldn't we be striving to help them, to take care of them, bless them, enable them to succeed, guide and teach if they need it, listen and learn if we need it, and generally treating them the way that we would treat Jesus if He was there in front of us, minus the worship part? If Jesus was taking your order, would you be nice? If Jesus was ringing through your groceries, would you be patient? If Jesus was asking for food on the side of the road, would you buy Him lunch? If Jesus was getting food from the food bank, would you donate? If Jesus was singing off-key in church, would you wish that He'd just shut up? If Jesus was taking too much time to get dressed or pick a thing out at a store, would you berate Him or demand that He just hurry up? If Jesus was asking the same foolish question for the 30th time, would you tell Him to shut up or that He was stupid? If it was Jesus around us instead of other people, how would our conduct change? How much does our perception of people color our interactions with them? We say we should find our people or our tribe, like it's a positive thing. While there is worth in finding a group of supportive people, the fact is that all people are supposed to be our people. Regardless of how they treat us, we are supposed to treat them with patience, mercy, grace, and love. How are we supposed to do that instead of just punching them in their stupid talkbacky faces? You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matthew 22.37 That is how we do it. For in Him we live, move, and have our being, as some of your own poets have said, for we are also His offspring. Acts 17.28 Combine these with the verse from Colossians about bringing God glory in all we do, and we have a clear road map to follow. God needs to be first. It isn't about how traffic is slowing you down. It isn't about a surfer who keeps getting your order wrong. It isn't about a neighbor who plays her music too loudly. It isn't about kids who won't pick up after themselves. It isn't about homeless people taking over the town square. It is about what does Jesus have for you to do at this moment. This doesn't always mean huge things. Maybe your purpose and task at this moment in time is to smile. To smile at other drivers. To smile at the server. To be polite. Our vehicle broke down in the middle of winter right before Christmas. We had it towed. The next day we waited but heard nothing from the dealer. Figured they were either closed or busy. We enjoyed our holiday. Then my partner called the first day after that that things were open. Told the guy no rush. Just get the work done. They apologized for the delay. We said no biggie. Not your fault. They tried to call right away but the number was wrong. No biggie. Do what you need to do. Very low key because we weren't worried or upset. The dealer had done nothing wrong. They were busy. We weren't rushing. It was all copacetic. But when I got there to pick up the vehicle he could not say enough about my partner and how she made his day. And we're talking like a five minute phone call here. How much of a pleasure it was to deal with her. All from simple politeness and not pushing. We made his whole holiday. That was what Jesus wanted us to do at that moment. The next moment might be bigger. It might be financially related. Helping someone out. Giving to a charity. Buying someone lunch. Gifting a ministry something. Paying someone's tuition. Winning free groceries for a year. Giving it away to a friend who needs it. But maybe the next moment is a thank you. A compliment on someone's clothes. Their hair. Telling them it's good to see them. Being friendly. Maybe it isn't about what you'll do. Maybe it's about what you won't do. You won't swear. You won't raise your voice. You won't look disgusted. You won't shake your head at their attire. You won't cross the street making sure your child won't interact with them. You won't mentally undress them. Maybe it's about not doing one of the thousand things we do that come from a place of negativity. Maybe it's about not adding to the burden that person is carrying. Sounds like a tall order. And it is. Our habits are ingrained in us. Our flesh is no help at all. It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life. John 6, 63. The flesh doesn't help us walk in peace. There's nothing about it that helps. Not feelings. Not fight or flight impulses. Not anything. Our habits are selfish. They're judgmental. They're not worth giving in to. But in Jesus, we can do anything and everything that we are called to. John 15. When we use the word to align ourselves with God's will, it's easy to walk in peace. Focusing on the Lord God Almighty is the key to peaceful living. If our eyes are on Him all the time, it is really hard to step awry. If we consciously and on purpose try and say and do nothing but the things that will please Him, there is a lot that we wouldn't do. If we take a few moments to think about it and decide on a course of action before we open our mouths, there's a lot of hurt in the world that we will help do away with. Jesus told us to have a servant's heart. John 13.2-17. Not a bitter indentured slave. A servant. To serve instead of take. That doesn't mean drain yourself. It means to rely on Jesus in joy for our strength as we put others before us. We're not doormats. We're servants. We don't have to give up everything to others. We give up everything to Jesus who then takes care of all of our needs and godly wants. We're to be meek, not gullible. We're to serve, not slave. We're to love, not be oblivious. We're to be led by the Holy Spirit in all things. He always has the best interests in heart. Ours and everyone else's. He'll never hurt us and He'll never forsake us. If we leave it in His hands and remain obedient, everything always works out. We need to put God first and foremost in our life. In all things we say and do, we need to do it for His glory and not ours. If we let the Lord guide us and renew us and transform us, then we will approach every situation and every person with the Lord in mind. We'll be able to walk in peace, seeking the best for those around us the same way we seek the best for ourselves. We can be a mutually supportive, ever uplifting, ever helpful group of people who are known for our capacity for love, for our rejection of fear and all that comes from it. We can be a light in darkness, knowledge shared in a world of ignorance. We can be a model for Jesus for this world. We can walk in peace. Our daily affirmation of God's love is Matthew 5.13. Have you ever left out the salt in a recipe? Amazing the difference it makes, isn't it? And this is a product that isn't that good for you. And that's not saying we should cut it out. Sodium is necessary to our bodies, vital to our function, but we need only about 200 to 500 micrograms of sodium in a day, period. That's unrealistic if we eat processed or man-made done-up foods, so dietary recommendations say keep it under 2,300 micrograms a day, preferably not more than 1,500 micrograms. Now, overall, that recommendation is less than a teaspoon of salt, table salt. An average medium fry order at a fast food restaurant has about 260 micrograms. 100 grams of chicken has 82 micrograms. A Roma tomato has 3 micrograms. So does an onion. An apple has 2 micrograms. Everything has a little, and the more we process it, the more it gets, and it adds up pretty quickly. Everything has it. We notice it if it's left out. Is this why Jesus said we're supposed to be the salt of the earth? Too much salt can be bad for you. Get too much of a believer's beliefs together and you get religion. Is that why we're the salt of the earth? Or is it that you can't live without having some, that the body dies away slowly but inevitably? If you eat a whole-food-based diet, you'll get what you need sodium-wise without needing to add any. If you live a word-based life, you'll get what the world needs Jesus-wise. Don't add anything. Take the word as the word. Living according to what Jesus says. Do what Jesus did. Model the Father. Obey the Father. Give glory to the Father in all things. If we live this way, we'll be good people, the kind of people who get a reputation, the kind of people eagerly looked for, the kind of people known for loving, the kind of people who get asked what their secret is. God made us this way to be mirrors of His love. He loved us before the world began. He loves us now. He'll love us in the future. Help Him. Model His love today. Be like Jesus. As we close, remember that you have worth. You are precious and valuable. Declare this. Today, God loves that I, now you, fill in the blank. Was it a meal you made? A smile you gave? Did you get out of bed? Read? Put on socks? There's no wrong answers here. There is no end to God's love and no end to the things about you that He loves each and every day. Pick one. And remember, the Lord loves you just because you're you. 1 John 4 9-10 tells us, By this, God's love was revealed in us, that God has sent His only-born Son into the world, that we might live through Him. And this is love, not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His perfect love turned away God's wrath because of sin, and it casts out our fear, too. See verses 18 and 19. We love because He first loved us. He just loves us. He can't get enough of us. And that is wonderful. See you next time.