FULFILLING THE LAW OF CHRIST
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"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2) The law of Christ is the law of love. It rules and constrains not by human coercive rules and demands, but by the bond and dominion it sets over the heart and mind of the believer. We love Christ because He first loved us. He was the one that gave us incommensurate value and eternal recognition when He received us to Himself and gave us a new name and a living hope. As we continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, this divine love continues to grow inside and overflows towards all those around us. Just as the Lord did not seek to please Himself but came to serve and to give His life as a ransom price for many, we learn to find delight in no longer pleasing our natural inclinations and desires, but in serving our Lord and Savior as we serve and minister to others. How can we indeed serve God without interacting with our neighbors, helping them in their needs, manifesting compassion in their sorrows and distress, interceding on their behalf in prayer, sharing with them about God's love in every possible way. Our service to God is by no means an ethereal notion, something confined to the mystical realm, a secret belief that happens in private and secluded spaces and that has no connection with the reality of the world we live in. It is rather a public testimony about our God, it is love and dedication that moves us to action, it is both sound doctrine and godly practice. The Christian faith must encompass our existence in all its aspects." We are called to be a living illustration of God's heart and God's character. We are called to be His witnesses, to love and serve. We are called to no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died for us and rose again (2 Corinthians 5:15). As brothers and sisters in Christ we are bound together by this divine love. Just as Christ loved us, let us persevere in this love and bear one another's burdens, sorrows and weaknesses with mercy, compassion, patience and immovable faith that God will overcome in us and use all things in order to perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us until the day of His coming. |