In a world filled with black and white, the universal truth that connects us all is love.
We’re all created in the spirit of love and given the same opportunity to love and to be loved. No matter our beginning, that spirit of love exists within us.
It’s our choices that define us.
The difference between living in the Spirit and living in the world is discernible.
The selfish part of our nature is solely concerned with feeding our wants and desires. Every choice we make, and every action satisfies those desires.
Living for oneself means disregarding others. We’re not concerned with consequences or with the impact our behaviors have on those around us. Our sole focus is ourselves. If it feels good to me then it’s ok.
That mindset disconnects us from the Spirit that dwells within us. That’s not to say that we’re unaware of its presence. We know it’s there, but simply choose to ignore it. We choose to act in our own best interests regardless of the outcome.
That’s the definition of self-serving. We cannot be self-serving and Spirit-serving at the same time. It doesn’t work that way.
Our choices reveal the difference.
What difference? The difference between serving ourselves and serving God.
We’ve all been given the gift and the burden of free will. Therefore, we are free to choose between existing as servants of sin or as servants of righteousness.
However, only one of those choices leads to salvation and the gift of eternal life that awaits us at the end of this journey.
Moreover, only one of those choices grants us peace in this life.
The difference between forgiveness and resentment is FREEDOM.
We choose to hang on to anger. Resentment is the result of the anger we covet. We add it to our stories and by doing so nurture and empower it.
Resentment cages us. It chains us to the hurtful events and painful experiences we’ve endured. When we act in anger we are feeding the resentment within us. We prevent ourselves from experiencing the freedom that comes with forgiveness.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
MATTHEW | 6:14-15
It’s not the struggle to forgive that destroys us. What destroys us is our unwillingness to forgive. By choosing to hold on to resentment we are also choosing to withhold forgiveness.
Love is at the center of Jesus’ entire life and ministry. The greatest love of all. As Christians, we are called to act in the spirit of love that Jesus exemplified. Love that is merciful, kind, and yes, forgiving.
How can we expect to be forgiven for our imperfections if we’re not willing to first forgive? We cannot. More importantly, we should not.
The difference between acceptance and resistance is PEACE.
By dying on the cross, Christ made us acceptable before God. Thus, we are called to accept one another. Despite our differences, we’re all children of God. We’re all imperfect. It’s God’s unconditional love for us that makes us worthy of Christ’s sacrifice.
By accepting each other just as we are, we’re acknowledging God’s presence within us. Further, by praying for those who persecute us and forgiving those who hurt us, we’re living as Jesus taught us.
But, accepting others is not all we are called to do. We’re also called to accept what is.
We choose to live our lives from a place of acceptance or rooted in resistance.
Resistance comes when we’re unwilling to give up control. When we mistakenly believe that our way is the only way.
You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.
MATTHEW 5 | 38-41
Throughout His ministry, Jesus taught the messages of love, forgiveness, and acceptance in many ways. Not only that, He lived their meaning.
Through His words and sacrifice, Jesus taught us the importance of acceptance. Accepting personal insults and injustices instead of retaliating against them is a godly response. That leaving matters in God’s hands is the correct response for His children.
When we accept what is, we are saying, “God, I trust you. I trust in Your plan for my life. No matter what happens, I know You are with me.”
When we move into acceptance we are freed from doubt, worry, and fear. We open ourselves to the abundant peace God provides. Peace that surpasses all understanding.
The pathway between yesterday and tomorrow is PRESENCE.
It’s human nature to worry. We worry about the things we did or didn’t do yesterday and we worry about tomorrow. We fear the unknown. In effect, we squander the moment we’re given when in truth, it’s the only one we have.
Presence means being fully conscious of the moment we’re in. Presence frees us from the internal dialogue that continually plagues us. Through presence we find peace. We can let go of the past and the future. We exist right now. Not only that, we open ourselves to the beauty that exists all around us and the gifts of the Spirit that exist within us.
How do we attain presence? There are many ways. Meditation, prayer, and breathing exercises are all designed to take us out of our heads and connect us with the Spirit within us. Sometimes, just sitting quietly and focusing on the sounds around us, the feel of the air on our skin, or the warmth of the sun is enough to free us from our minds. The more often we practice entering and remaining in a state of presence, the easier and longer those moments of peace become. Like anything done repetitively, presence becomes a habit. It becomes a state we effortlessly enter and remain in no matter what is happening around us.
The pathway between the body and spirit is BEING.
As stated before, we’re all created in the spirit of love. All of creation is a testimony of God’s great love for us. The gift of His Son and the sacrifice Christ made for our salvation is the greatest example of love the world has ever known.
We are born of flesh and exist in the world, but we are also born of the Spirit, and the Spirit dwells within us. The pathway between our physical and spiritual selves is our being. Being is our state of existence, the essence and nature of who we are.
When our being exists fully in the world we are cut off from the Spirit. Everything we do satisfies the flesh. We are concerned about what others think about us, say about us, and how our situation compares to others. We experience jealousy, anger, hatred, and fear. Our choices and actions often become reflexive responses to the negativity within us. We become addicted to things that allow us to escape from the chaos. We continually seek more. More pleasure, more things, more status, as fleeting they are, to satisfy the emptiness within us.
When our being exists in union with the Spirit, we walk by the Spirit.
When our being exists in union with the Spirit, our hearts are oriented toward and exist in tandem with God. We aren’t so concerned with what the world thinks of us — we embrace the world, others, and ourselves with the same grace, compassion, and mercy God has shown us. We love others, as God has loved us.
Walking by the Spirit produces in us a desire for God’s way that is so much stronger than our fleshly desires.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
GALATIONS | 5:16-18
The universal TRUTH that connects all life to the source is LOVE.
God’s love is divine — a love that cannot be produced by man, nor created by human emotions. God’s love flows to us exclusively from Him. It then flows through us to others. Godly love is a product of the Holy Spirit. It’s a spiritual fruit that is expressed in the life of a Christian.
We cannot humanly produce the love of God. But, we can love the way God loves us. That is to say, as children of God, we are capable of Godly love. When we are born again in the Spirit, the desire to personify Godly love grows within us.
The Bible reminds us that God’s love is manifested through a concrete act — the gift of Christ as our Savior: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” JOHN | 3:16.
God is the source of all love because God IS love.
God expresses His love for us in many ways. He is present, just, faithful, and good. He calls on us to demonstrate His love in our lives, words, actions, and deeds. Godly love demands that we do what is best for other people in the light of eternity, no matter what may be the cost to us.
As children of God, we are obligated to love as Christ loved us and to live our lives in service for the benefit of others and to the glory of God.
Imagine a world in which Godly love existed in the heart of every man, woman, and child. It seems impossible, doesn’t it? The difference between Godly love and man’s version of love is immense. God’s love is unconditional and eternal. And yet, mankind was created in Godly love. And even though we are imperfect beings who often fall short of Godly love, His love for us remains steadfast.
God is the source of all love and that is the universal truth that connects us all.
JN Fenwick (© 2024) | mothjournal14 | #mothjournal14
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