“Our Daily Bread”     http://odb.org/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

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

“Homily Grits Devotional”   http://www.homilygrits.com

1 Corinthians 16:13-14… Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. ¹⁴ Let all that you do be done with love.  (NKJV)

In the days of black and white TV, it was easy to tell the good cowboy from the outlaw…  The good cowboy typically wore a white hat; and the outlaw usually a black hat… 

There is one distinguishing characteristic of a true disciple of Jesus Christ, which makes them stand out above all others…  The Apostle Paul reveals this in the opening scripture…“Let all that you do be done with love”…   The “all” is the tough part of this scripture for many Christians…  All Christians that are true followers (disciples) of Jesus Christ, will do their best to live lives mirrored after Jesus Himself…Luke 6:40… A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.  (NKJV)  

Christians will spend their whole lives being conformed into the image of Christ…Romans 8:29…  But Christians won’t be perfect, like Christ…until they are in glory with Him upon their death…2 Corinthians 3:18...

Jesus tells us how all of those around us will know that we are indeed disciples of Christ, when He tells His disciples (and us) this, in…John 13:34-35… “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are Mydisciples, if you have love for one another.”  (NKJV)

It’s easy to love someone who loves you back…  Jesus tells us this, in…Matthew 5:46a… “For if you love those wholove you, what reward have you?”  (NKJV)

The true passing grade for a disciple of Jesus Christ comes when they are able to love even those that are yelling in their face with rage…  Jesus tells us this, 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 useyou and persecute you,” (NKJV)

I am here to tell you that loving your enemy, is something a person cannot do until they become a Christian…  The make-up of the natural man (an unbeliever) doesn’t have the capacity within themselves to be able to do this…  Even a Christian in their own mortal strength, will find it hard to love their enemy…  I have living proof in my own life, where I had a couple of altercations with the same brother in Christ, when we were screaming in each others face…  Both Christians…and both wrong !!  This occurred during a period in my life when I had taken back control from the Holy Spirit, and my own flesh was weak…

It is only the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, if He isleft in control…which can allow you to show love to someone, even when they are screaming in your face…   And when you’re able to respond to this screaming with love, though the power of the Holy Spirit…the wise Solomon teaches us this, in…Proverbs 15:1…  A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.  (NKJV)

There is no better scripture revealing the power of the Holy Spirit, when the Christian is filled with the immeasurable love of Christ…than this scripture penned by the Apostle Paul, in…

Ephesians 3:16-19…  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through HisSpirit in the inner man, ¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹ toknow the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  (NKJV)

This love in the face of anger really is a love which is hard for most people (even Christians) to be able to comprehend…  I believe this is why the Apostle Paul calls this love…“the love of Christ which passes knowledge”…  But take careful notice where the Christian gets this strength from…“strengthened with might through HisSpirit”…  And note the condition of the Christian’s heart,whichis capable of showing this “love of Christ which passes knowledge”…  It is a heart that is…“filled with all the fullness of God”…

Once we as Christians humble ourselves with wisdom, through understanding that we are absolutely helpless without the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit…and that total submission to the Lord, in obedience to His will, is the only way we will please the Lord…we will finally be Christians that God can use to start being conformed into the image of His Son…Romans 8:29…

Heavenly Father, help all of Your children rid themselves of the pride and rebellious nature that we were all born with…  Help us Lord, to submit our lives to You as obedient children…so that the fruit of the Spirit can be seen as the “love of Christ which passes knowledge” to those around us that don’t know You as their personal Lord and Savior…  I pray for this fullness of Christ in all of our lives, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

Blessings in Christ,  bruce r mills 

P.S.  For the nostalgia buffs, I just came across a link for Clayton Moore, the Lone Ranger…with the theme song for the show…  http://claytonmoore.tripod.com/