The Only Thing That Counts

My wife reminded me, for the 7th or 8th time, that I had better get started this year on my Faith Thoughts of theDay. I deliberately waited until after prayer week I was involved in because I wanted to hear from the Lord and receive fresh faith thoughts from Him. I have to say the reading of Psalms and Proverbs to begin 2013 was a huge lift to my spirit and an adrenaline rush to my worship life.

To begin the first faith thought of the year, I choose Galatians 5:5,6 “But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. THE ONLY THING THAT COUNTS IS FAITH EXPRESSING ITSELF THROUGH LOVE.” (capital letters used for emphasis only). Christ is our righteousness! Our faith in Christ saves us but life does not stop there. As long as we live, Christ’s command is to love one another.

Love is patient. To love is great gain, to diminish love brings darkness and strife."If we understand love, we will see it’s general absence today and understand the social conditions which are the result of it’s absence. Without love we lose the will to live. Our mental and physical vitality is impaired, our resistance is lowered, and we succumb to illness.” Dave Grant
God’s family is a love family. If you love someone you will not gossip about them; you will not steal from them; you will not covet what they have. If you love someone you will rejoice in their success and mourn with them in times of loss. Love is the fulfillment of the whole law.

If we step in love we will not step in sin. One step out of love is a step into sin. Since faith expresses itself through love then faith must be carefully fed and cultivated. We feed our faith through the Word and prayer. Love is the outworking of a a healthy, God-revering, Spirit-anointed faith. There is not a more excellent way than that of faith, hope and love! The greatest of these is love because God is Love.

“Lord turn our gaze upon thy cross, counting all else not gain but loss; For this we pray, this is our plea – Lord keep our eyes on Calvary.” Amy Carmichael (1867-1951) We see the horror of man's sin and the holiness of God’s love revealed in the Cross of Christ. “God made Him who who had no sin become sin for us that we may in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” II Corinthians 5:21
So apply it. Take time to worship Jesus and to reflect on His cross. The cross is the place we die to sin and live a new and holy destiny. Thank Him for His salvation. Go out and do the "love thing" now. Show someone the kind of love Christ has shown you and the purity of God's love given to you.

Pastor David