“Our Daily Bread”   

http://odb.org/2012/10/03/the-high-cost-of-living/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht

1 John 4:20… If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how canhe love God whom he has not seen?  (NKJV)

Yesterday I wrote about how the Christian could eliminate fear in their lives… Since fear is caused by Satan…and Satan can overpower man with his eyes closed…we find that the only way mankind can overpower Satan is with God stepping in and squashing Satan like a bug…  Indeed, the Holy Spirit, if left in total control of the Christian’s life, will be able to protect the Christian from any fears or temptations Satan loves to use on all humans…

The key scripture verse from yesterday was…1 John 4:18… There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.  (NKJV)

Being “made perfect in love”, as I wrote yesterday…involves keeping Jesus’ commandments…John 14:15-17… “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”  (NKJV)

Jesus gave us His two most important commandments, in…Matthew 22:36-40… I wrote about His most important commandment yesterday…in that we have to love the Lord with all of our heart, all of our soul, and all  of our mind… Today I write about Jesus’ second most important commandment, because without obeying it, the opening scripture tells us that Christians cannot love God as they are commanded to do…

Matthew 22:39-40… “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  (NKJV)

When the Christian allows the Holy Spirit to totally control their lives (being Spirit filled…Ephesians 5:18-20), it is the Holy Spirit that helps the Christian love all people around them… One scripture call these people brothers…one calls them neighbors…Jesus tells us that we should even love our enemies, in…

Matthew 5:43-44… “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”  (NKJV)

To me, it is very simple…  My own life confirms all of this scripture…  I could in no way love someone who is screaming in my face, in my own strength… I have been there in past years, and without the help of the Holy Spirit, our flesh (our natural reaction) would be to lash back with our own hurtful words… It is still hard to love people around me who have offended, persecuted, or hurt me…but this is what I have been called to do by the Lord… It’s not easy, but it is possible…  But only with the full power of the Holy Spirit working in the life of the Spirit filled Christian…

Heavenly Father, Your Word is filled with wise instruction and spiritual wisdom, that if followed, will change lives forever… I pray Lord, that Your Word will touch the hearts and minds of all of those in need… I pray for a fresh awakening and an urge to please You by all of Your children…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills