OCCUPY TILL I COME: Earthly Useful And Heavenly Minded – LIVING & WALKING IN LOVE!
Talking about LOVE! Here is a didactic sense of measure, such that we don’t just say we have love, but we do LIVE and WALK in LOVE, knowing that love is of God; and it’s the lubricant for our life in Christ Jesus and for all mankind. Upon this we can Occupy In Christ by ‘Being Earthly Useful while Heavenly Minded’.
Love is an attitude, a deliberate choice, an exercise of the will, a choice of life and is not just a feeling, it is an expression of the nature of God. It is spiritual, divinely inspired and imbedded in the very hearts of all God’s human creation, and more importantly in the very nature of the redeemed child of God. Hence it’s not a doctrine, creed and dogmas. It outlived generation because it’s timeless and of God’s. God is love – 1 John 4:7–10.
Love is a FRUIT and not a GIFT. FRUITS are GROWN while GIFTS are IMPARTED. Genuine Bible love – Agape – is born and is a product of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9).
Let’s consider love in diversity for a clearer understanding of the kind of love being implied in this context.
DEFINING THE THREE KINDS OF LOVE:
*1. PHILEO: Grk (of the soul) – Love relationship in family – between parent and child. The Family kind of love. It also embodied love relationship towards friends and colleagues. It means to be fond of; it is based on FEELINGS and not on PRINCIPLE. It’s never used of man’s love to or for God. This is human or natural kind of love. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Genesis 8:19; Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21). This kind of love is however essential and crucial for a family bonding and wellbeing.
*2. EROS: Grk (of the Physical body) – Sexual love; purely reserved for the married – within the bond of marriage. It’s based on PHYSICAL ATTRACTION. It’s neither for fornication nor adultery. Lust and immoral desires have gotten some into it, hence there’s a great act of PERVERSION in our societies today – and we are paying hugely for the consequences across the board. (Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 7:1-9; 1 Corinthians 6:15-20).
*3. AGAPE: Grk (of the spirit) – God kind of love; unconditional, limitless, divine, spiritual. It transcends race, gender, generation, culture, family, physical, personal (self) etc. 1 Corinthians 13. It’s built on PRINCIPLE. Agape love even helps to ensure, STRENGTHEN and MAINTAIN the Phileo and Eros kind of love in all life endeavours. Agape love is based on PRINCIPLE – be it towards things or people.
Notably, the PHILEO OR EROS kinds of Love need to be controlled by AGAPE kind of love or else it will hinder our fellowship with God and leads to SIN acts. (E.g. EROS – 1 Corinthians 13:5; PHILEO – 1 Samuel 2:22-36).
Let’s not just say we have love, lets LIVE and WALK IN LOVE, for love is of the Spirit – Romans 5:5.
“If we LIVE in the Spirit, let us also WALK in the Spirit” Galatians 5:25.
“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 and WALK IN LOVE, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” Ephesians 5:1-2.
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being ROOTED and GROUNDED IN LOVE, 18 may be able to COMPREHEND with all saints what is the BREADTH, and LENGTH, and DEPTH, and HEIGHT; 19 and to KNOW THE LOVE OF christ, which PASSETH (TRANSCENDS, SURPASSED) KNOWLEDGE (SENSE), that ye might be FILLED with all the FULNESS of God” Ephesians 3:17-19.
Rev Chukie MORSI