Serve One Another in Love
“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Paul (Galatians 5:13)
Love and Lordship in Focus…From last week’s “one another” we build on serving without favoritism to serving all other, especially believers, in love. This also implies that we can actually serve in our flesh without loving as there would be no need for this command if that were not the case…think about it.
As Paul, in The Holy Spirit, continues to address the various early church plants we find more and more of these “one anothers” encouraging The Body of Christ in how we are to love each other and all others in Him, bringing us to a “one another” is both troubling and encouraging.
In Galatians 5:13, just before Paul describes the lusts of the flesh and the fruit of The Spirit, he tells the believers, then and now, to “serve one another in love.” Then comes that drastic contrast between flesh and Spirit (Galatians 5:16-24).
Just before this passage he has spent time admonishing believers regarding 2 key issues; 1) to know the freedom they have in Christ and; 2) not to abuse that freedom so that it becomes license (a false freedom of unbridled sin).
Back to the implication I stated in today’s Focus that allows us to see even more clearly that there can be service done in our flesh to satisfy ourselves rather than being done in The Spirit which is done only through the maturing fruit of The Spirit in our lives, of which the first and most important one is…LOVE!
How do we do this? By dying to our self and the flesh! Only then can we truly place others above self in love and serving our fellow man. Doing this as an overflow of our love for Christ, by Holy Spirit in us, and it keeps us from turning our freedom in Him into selfish satisfaction and seeking for our own fleshly desires.
This serving is not simply a duty on a checklist but as Paul states, it is done because of and in love. This is why it’s essential that we understand and continue to seek and grow in our love for God, know and love who we are so that we are “serving one another in love.”
Food for Thought…Have you ever thought about the reality that you can serve others out of your flesh which is ultimately selfish? Have you ever thought that without proper understanding of God’s Word and dying to our flesh that we have entire churches that do the same? Let’s be careful to learn what God’s Truth and Love are and then live it out in the authority of Christ as Lord and the power of Holy Spirit in us by His grace!
Love in Action –
- Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily – read and study the Scriptures in this post as a way to start
- Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you
- Ask Holy Spirit to test your heart (motives) in all you do in order to recognize, and then die to, the natural flesh so that you are serving others in love.
- How might it look differently when you serve from your flesh than when you serve in The Spirit?
Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.
Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, Help me to better understand Your Love by prioritizing my time with You, in Your Word and prayer to know and love You with all my being. As I do so help me then to serve others in the Love of Your Spirit in Christ rather than in the self-focused motives of my flesh. In Jesus Name. Amen.