Loving My Way To Heaven!

Matthew 22:37-40 (New Living Translation) “Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

I read some writings today that reminded me that Love causes us to have divine protection and authority over every problem, sickness, disease and yes, even the enemy. Jesus gave us the victory when He died on the cross and rose from the grave for our sins. But He told us to settle down and take up residence in His Love. Love is the only way to victory and it’s the main ingredient to make our faith work.

So I am fully resolved today to make sure I live in the Word of God and thereby, live in the Love of God which means I will just Love my way right on to Heaven.

Because ‘perfect’ love casts out fear, fear cannot remain where there is strong love. In this era that we live in, we sing a lot of praises to God but they are relatively new. So I am often taken aback when I hear one of those ‘old’ spirituals that I haven’t heard in a long time. Especially when I hear the words and realize how powerful they are....like the song, "Love lifted me. Love lifted me. When nothing else could help, love lifted me."

That song and a Black History Month epiphany that I had today truly emphasizes the power of God’s Love. I attended an event where I was listening to a panel of individuals talk about their experiences in this country, a country whose very foundation is Christianity. Remembering all the while that this country has a multitude of Christians talking about how they love God with all their hearts, yet, they can't stand to be around black, white, yellow, or red folks. I recognized that God is saying, No, you don't love Me - because these are Me!

This simple, very commonplace occurrence reminded me of how much God must love me to have given me ancestors who spared me from some of those horrors and the pain. Growing up, I only learned the Love of God and the songs of praise. I was almost an adult before I was exposed to the devastating bias of viewing different races in negative ways passed down to me either directly or indirectly. I was raised in a protected environment, in the south and the south side of Chicago, and we were all the same.

Racial prejudice is not genetically transmitted it is socially transmitted by word of mouth. It does not come from the Spirit of God. It has to come from the spirit of Satan, because the Scripture tells us that God has made out of one blood everyone to dwell on the face of the earth.
Love for one another should be based on God's Word which transcends color, gender, or nationality.

We are His children, if we are connected by the blood of Jesus and walk in love for all of God's people anyone who loves God also loves His children. You cannot separate God from His children so, if you treat any other part of the church badly, then you treat Him badly and it won't work. God's not going to cooperate with anybody who hates somebody else.

That is why the Bible tells us love never fails; love casts out fear, and helps us to walk in love toward one another.

1 John 3:18 (New Living Translation) “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.”

1 John 4:7-8 (New Living Translation) “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”