There are at least two ways that our love for God grows. One is through loving people; the other through obeying God. "If we love each other," John wrote, "God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." And again, "But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him."8 There is nothing like obedience to God and living in harmony with his will and the principles found in his Word to bring harmony to our personal as well as our spiritual life.
B ... Be filled with God's Spirit (the Holy Spirit). Jesus called God's Spirit the Comforter, which literally means "one called alongside to help." That's what God's Spirit wants to do for us. We are commanded to "keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit."9 As we daily open our inner selves to God, he will fill us with his Spirit and in so doing, empowers us to serve him.
A ... Abide in Christ. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit.10 In other words, if our lives are to be fruitful, we need to abide in Christ. We do this by spending time with him in his word, in prayer, and in living for him in our daily life.
S ... Serve the Lord. The happy Christian is the serving Christian. Contentment comes from living beyond ourselves and helping others. James wrote, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."11
I ... Importance of putting God first. God has given us everything we have, including the power to get wealth.12 In olden times God required his people to tithe; that is, to give one-tenth of their income to get God's work done. When they did this faithfully God promised to bless them greatly.13 It is a wise investment and responsibility for Christians to do similarly. We need to tithe or give proportionately not only of our income, but also of our time and talents to get God's work done today.
C ... Clean living and confession are also essential for physical, emotional and spiritual health. Our goal needs to be not to sin, but when we do we need to confess our wrong and put things right, "If we confess our sins," writes John, "he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.14 Accept God's forgiveness by faith and be sure to forgive yourself.
S ... Sunday has been called by many the Lord's day. It's not the day in the week that is important, but rather, that we set time aside each week to worship God with other people. God's word says, "Let us not give up meeting together."15
Attending a church where God's Word is believed and taught and where people love one another is very important for worshipping God, for strengthening our Christian faith, for learning more about God, and for fellowship with fellow Christians. Jesus went to "church" himself every week. We need to do the same.
1. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) 2. Matthew 4:4 (NIV). 3. 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV). 4. 1 John 5:11-13 (NIV) 5. Matthew 10:30. 6. Philippians 4:19. 7. 1 Peter 5:7. 8. 1 John 4:12 and 2:5 (NIV). 9. Ephesians 5:18. 10. John 15:5. 11. James 1:27 (NIV). 12. Deuteronomy 8:18. 13. Malachi 3:10. 14. 1 John 1:9 (NIV). 15. Hebrews 10:25 (NIV).
