Under the Cross

At Christmas, we sing a song that says, "His law is love, and His Gospel is peace." Yet many lives neglect to know what Christian love means.

Wonderful, agape love isn't sinful. Instead, it's a blessing.

Without the least sin or stress, Jesus gives the disciples instructions: to, at appointed times, provide ordinary food and fellowship — not only scriptures — for the spiritually poor. And He repeated, "Feed my (spiritual) sheep."

In Old Testament times, the Savior already was active in this world, through those scriptures that were known to Hebrew people at that time. At that time, Heaven gave clear words of instruction:

 

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse:

A blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day; and a curse, if you will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which you have not known.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28

 

The problem that most led to twisting God's meaning back then, was turning to other gods — attempting to make gods of sensuality and sacrifice one or synonymous with the only heavenly Father we have. And Heaven asked us, beginning back then, to think about whether we want to live cursed, or blessed.

Here is a Bible-study-based outline, which can serve as signposts to say a path we're on is either blessed, or cursed.

Firstly, curses may

☓ glorify a questionable shadow;

☓ be entangled in sacrifices;

☓ masquerade as light;

☓ make sin the "solution" to bondage;

☓ be unable to appreciate small steps and small blessings;

☓ work to exalt satanic "power";

☓ require reciprocity;

☓ confuse faith;

☓ fool even the elect;

☓ see souls as objects: as either useful or un-useful to personal gain.

 

But thank Heaven there is release from curses, through knowing Jesus for yourself. In Him, no matter how persecuted we may be, we are blessed:

✓ faithful;

✓ washed (Luke 17:14, Matthew 5:8, 21:16) / representative of our salvation;

✓ able, as individuals in the body of Christ, to identify His good and perfect will;

✓ exalting one true sacrifice;

✓ appreciative of each cheerful Christian gift, no matter how small;

✓ walking / living in order;

✓ caring for souls;

✓ freely receiving;

✓ freely calling upon Jesus;

✓ giving not out of necessity or coercion, but out of care and sincerity;

✓ not false;

✓ not willfully sinning and destroying, as terrors to holiness; but are

✓ glorifying life under the cross.