The Freedom of True Love
My friends today you are to read a message that has the power to change your life. Not because these words are so eloquently written, or that the message is so well thought out or intellectual, but because it is the truth. A truth so profound it is almost simple, but master it, and you will change your life. Driving to work today I found myself struggling to overcome temptation. We all go through periods in our life where we can be overwhelmed by temptation; sometimes to the point we question our own faith. As I drove down the highway, I was bombarded by billboards of scantily clad women selling everything from gambling to beer. You cannot turn on a television or pick up a newspaper, or for that matter engage in a conversation without temptation creeping in. It crouches at your door, it desires to have you, but you must master it.
You must learn to control your thoughts. Opening your mind to the barrage of sinful messages and behavior, you will find yourself holding your loved ones hostage to your own inequities. If you desire to experience the love God intended for you, the days of looking at your family through the dark filter of a sinful mind are over. This spirit filled message of hope and joy, which if accepted, can provide a life of peace and happiness, even in a fallen world.
What is love? At first it seems simple, right? Or maybe not so simple depending on your situation. For some it may depend on the day, week or even their mood to define this term. For others, it has more of a materialistic implication, such as loving one's work or wealth. Some find the term love contradictory. Hollywood tells us love is meeting someone and having a sexual relationship. Whatever your definition of love is, it usually is a combination of feelings, emotions, and/or attraction. However, these definitions of love are contradictory to God's word. Love is not a commitment or romantic encounter, but a vision of what the world was before sin entered in. Love for all its stigma and heartache, is a glimpse at life without sin. To truly love anything or anyone, we must remove the sin that influences our life.
To love someone is the ability to see people for what we are. That’s right, I said for what we are, not what they are. I know it’s confusing to think about at first, but read over it a few times and it will begin to make sense. The removal of sin, cleansing of the mind, and purifying of the spirit through righteous living will free your mind. If you truly want to love those in your life, you have to overcome sin in your life. That way you see your wife and kids for what they are, God's gift to you, not a burden. When you watch Hollywood’s depiction of love, you are robbing your family of God’s true gift. With time, you begin to see your wife as less then perfect and your children as falling short. Your parents are not understanding enough, and your grandchildren are part of a generation of misfits.
The influence of sin robs you and your family of love. It makes you skeptical, overbearing, jealous, and critical. Perhaps, your wife who seemed so perfect when you first met, now seems like a different woman. Remove sin from your life and you will remove the dark filter clouding your judgement. Your eyes will be opened to the truth, and the truth will set you free. Peace and a pure heart will enable you to finally experience the true blessing of love as originally intended.
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