Articles
Perfected in Love
Imagine dying for your enemies as Christ did. Imagine the amount of pain along the lengthy process of dying by crucifixion. If you had the power and authority to stop it, would you? Would you stop it even when knowing that your death could save countless souls? As intense as this picture may be to us as we go about our lives two thousand years after Christ’s death, it is fact that Christ died this way for us. On one hand Christ has the authority and power of God, a Being that can cast demons from a person by His voice alone. And on the other, Christ is compassionate that in His death He not only blessed us with the opportunity to save our souls, but He didn’t use His power to force us to take it. There is no love on this Earth mightier and more perfect.
It is by this same love that we are uniquely created with our own strengths and weaknesses for our own unique purpose. It is this love that protects us and guides us through life, and it is this love that commands us and disciplines us as well. All of this can be found in Psalm 139. When we live a life in darkness and in the world, we are His enemies--but He still loves us! By the guidance of His discipline and the opportunity to repent in His death, we can be saved and brought to the light! As Philippians 3:12-15 mentions it is only when we strive toward the goal of being more like Christ that we will win the prize God calls all of us to: heaven. As we read and study the Word of God, we will gain more knowledge on how we can be more often like Christ than not.
As we go throughout our days, let us encourage one another and work harder at truly abiding in His love. In Romans 13:8-10 and 1 Peter 5:14 we are commanded to love others as we should love ourselves and to go above and beyond a “normal greeting” when we are with others. Let us also reflect on the moments when we put ourselves down and are too hard on ourselves. Remember we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” With a perfected love in Christ we will not only save souls, but also cast out the worry and fear we have in our lives.
