THOUGHT FOR THE DAY by Given O. Blakely ____________________________________________ LOVING THE CHILDREN OF GOD Daily Thought #3 God dwelling in us "God is great, and greatly to be praised," declares the Psalmist (Psa 48:1). Yet, His greatness does not for forbid His close alliance with His people. This is a marvelous thing! One of the great handicaps of the contemporary church is its minuscule view of God Himself. That small view does not allow for rejoicing in a great God that dwells within the redeemed. Isaiah's words are poignant on this matter; and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Isa 57:15). How can we know that God dwells with us? He has promised, "I will dwell in them and walk in them" (2 Cor 6:16). How can we know? Some point to an external experience they call "the baptism of the Holy Spirit," giving that as their evidence. Is that sufficient? The fight of faith requires consistent evidence--something that does not hinge upon an irrational and sensual experience. We have such evidence in the love of the brethren. "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us" (1 John 4:12). Think of those weighty remarks: "God dwelleth in us," and "His love is perfected (made complete or matured) in us." Those are high expressions that challenge the mind and the heart. They indicate that God is doing work within us, fulfilling His purpose within us! This means you cannot love the brethren without God dwelling in you. It also means that you cannot love the brethren without God's love coming to maturity within you. If, therefore, I do not love the brethren, God is not in me. It makes little difference what I may profess, or how eloquently I may say it: He does not dwell within me! It also means that I cannot, while failing to love the brethren, grow spiritually, come to spiritual maturity. But, if I love the brethren--if I have a preference for them, and seek their betterment --I have God's Word on this: God dwells in me, and His love is being perfected in me. Blessed is the soul that possesses such evidence. It is a most pleasant cordial in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is! Dwelling in God Not only does God dwell within us, we can dwell in God. This should surprise no one. It is frequently declared that our regeneration has placed us into Deity. We have been "baptized into Christ," and have thus "put on Christ" (Gal 3:27). Our position is precisely described by Paul in Colossians 3:3; "For ye are dead, and your life is hid [now hidden, NIV] with Christ in God." Our "life" is our renewed person--it is me myself! Having died to the world and "joined to the Lord," we are now hidden "with Christ in God." The church, comprised of the redeemed, is "in God the Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1). Again, the love of the brethren proves to our hearts that we dwell in God. "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16). Notice there is no ambiguity in this affirmation. John does not say this OUGHT to be the case, but that it IS the case! The individual that "dwells" in love dwells in God--that is WHY he dwells in love. What is more, the dwelling is reciprocal; i.e., not only does he dwell in God, God also dwells in him! "Dwell" means to continue, remain, or abide. Those dwelling in love continue to love the brethren; they abide in that frame of spirit, and are not dislodged from it by the evil one. Thus the love of the brethren becomes our confirmation that we are abiding in the Vine (John 15), and that God Himself remains in us. It is not possible to overstate the value of this confirmation. You can endure any test or circumstance if you know that you are dwelling in God and God is dwelling in you! That is the essence of salvation. Spiritual reasoning It is imperative that our powers of reason be renewed by the Spirit of God. Those that cannot reason correctly cannot live correctly. That is why we are admonished to be "transformed by the renewing of our mind" (Rom 12:1). In that transformation, we become capable of approving "what God's will is--His good, pleasing, and perfect will" (Rom 12:2, NIV). Here are some examples of spiritual reasoning on the matter of brotherly love. A profession of loving God that is not accompanied by a love of God's people is not a true one. "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen" (1 John 4:20). The Spirit makes no allowances for a profession of love without the possession of it! He reasons that if we cannot love the evidence of God that we have seen, we certainly will not be able to love the "invisible God" (Col 1:15). If you love the God of the new birth, you will love those that are born again. "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth Him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him" (1 John 5:1). Again, observe that no allowance is made for living in contradiction of this truth. "Every one" that loves God ("Him that begat") also loves the ones begotten by Him (the brethren). The NIV reads, "everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well." If, therefore, there is no love of the brethren, there is no love for God. On the other hand, if I do love the people of God, I do love God. It is just that simple. You can know that you love God's people. Rational evidence is available to you. If you take the time to examine the evidence, you can be confident of the conclusion. "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:2-3). Keeping the commandments of God is not synonymous with perfect obedience, although that is our unwavering desire. Keeping the commandments is a requisite to doing them. "And ye shall keep my commandments, and do them" (Lev 20:8,22). "Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them" (Lev 22:31). "Keep . . . and do [follow, NIV]" is the frequent admonition of Scripture (Lev 26:3; Deut 4:6; 5:1). Keeping the commandments is a matter of the mind. It is "remembering" them (Num 15:39) and "learning" them (Deut 5:1). Keeping the commandments is hiding them in your heart, that you sin not against the Lord (Psa 119:11). If, therefore, you retain God's commandments in your heart, keeping them, you DO love the children of God! The commands to which he refers are identified in 1 John 3:23; "And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment." The persuasion that God loves us, compels us to love our brethren. The focus of the kingdom is God, not the brethren. Our primary love is for God, not the brethren. Once that has been established in our hearts, the result becomes obvious: "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another" (1 John 4:11). It is totally unreasonable and unacceptable for a person to profess the reception of God's love, and not love God's people. When the word says "we OUGHT also . . . " it speaks of moral constraint. This is not a statement of cold law, but of sensible conclusion. The Spirit is saying, "If this is the way God loved us [propitiating our sins, v 10], then it makes perfect sense to love lone another." After all, we know less about one another than God knows--and yet He loves us. As you ponder God's love for you, you will come to the conclusion that you should love your brethren. Your heart will not allow any other conclusion. (God Has Spoken Through His Son--Begins tomorrow) In joyful expectation of glory, Given O. Blakely