Let Everyone Say I Love You

Ephesians 4

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

⁷ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”

⁹ (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ¹⁹ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

²⁵ Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. ²⁶ “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷ nor give place to the devil. ²⁸ Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. ²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Our bible is to unite us as one in love.  (1 Timothy 1: 5) “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.”  We cannot do this on our own, if we could our whole world would walk in peace.  We are up against a mighty force, when we do the things we don’t want to do or say, and do, then the things we know we should be doing or saying, we don’t do (Romans 7:19).  So the word of God is our only solution.  Our calling is to walk in love and do everything in the spirit of love.  God commands all of His fruits and gifts are to be operating in our interaction between Him and ourselves in love.  Every ligament in our being, Father says, are to be oozing love to move Him on the scene.  A calling and a hope from the Heavens has been placed upon our lives, so hope from a cloud of witnesses and every other spirit God is in love with, all anticipate our winning this victory.  We must believe there’s a man greater than our world and His name is Jesus Christ, great enough to love us in every situation as He asks us to do with one another.  (Matthew 28: 18-20) “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”  Jesus blesses us royally when all of His commands, statues, and oracles are met and walked out in faith.  Christ came down and rose back into the Heavens so we could live in this kingdom in peace and love, giving glory and honor to the one who has set us free by love, Him.  We are to equip each other in the word of God.  We’re so far off the mark right now that every crafty, cunning, deceitful trickery thing that could be thought of is working in our spirits today.  Love is the command, and we are to train our spirits in it to receive the type of kingdom blessings we are praying and hoping for.  We are members of one another God’s word says, and we’re only using our gifts to edify self.  Let’s stop and pause, then tell someone today I love you.  2 Timothy 1: 13-14 “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.  That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.”

Blessings always as we walk in the spirit of love,

Vincent Young, Christian Analyst.