The Necessary Hierarchy of Love

the other day i posted on the necessary hatred of sin, and what i believe that needs to look like in my/our life as the people of Christ.  today, i want to share where i believe that comes from, and what it leads to....love.  life transforming, earth shattering love.

here we go:

1.  First, I must love God.  (Deuteronomy 6:5)

2.  Second, I must love my wife.  (Ephesians 5:28-33)

3.  Third, I must love the body of Christ.  (1 Peter 3:8-9)

4.  Fourth, I must love the world.  (John 3:16)

Why?

1.  I have to love God, the true God, in order to even know what love is.  God is love, and if I don't love Him, the creator of everything, how can I begin to love my wife properly?

2.  I have to love my wife...AS CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH.  Sacrificially, with endurance, joy, and service.  If I don't love the person closest to me on this planet in such a way, how can I love anyone outside of my marriage?

3.  I must love the body of Christ, because it's what I'm called to do.  I don't always feel like it, and sometimes I hate it, because a lot of Christians make me mad.  BUT, they are the body of Christ as much as I am.  Christ loves me relentlessly.  I must do the same.  If I can't love my brothers and sisters, how can I bring anyone home to meet my "family"?

4.  I must love the world because God so loved the world to give His ONLY son.  And to bring it back to #1, if I love Him with all of my heard, soul, mind and strength......won't I love what He loves, and hate only what He hates?

Why am I not in that line up?  I'm a human being, so loving myself is natural and not something I have to work on.  Even when I'm depressed, I naturally value me over everything on the above list.  I'm trying to honor God by loving what He is making to be.....by loving the things I just wrote about.

Just something to chew on.  Would love to hear your thoughts.

In His love,

brad

The Necessary Hierarchy of Hatred.

I'm really challenged right now, and would love to pass it on.  I've been contemplating sin, and God's hatred of sin.  You've all heard it:  "Love the sinner, hate the sin."  Unfortunately, we don't do that, we hate the sinner.  I've been praying about this whole thought, and want to share what God is teaching me.  Let me also say this, to prepare your heart with my motives:  A hatred for sin, doesn't lead to beating people up emotionally, it leads to loving people fully.  Wrestle with that.  Our hatred for sin, not sinners, should lead us to teach salvation to the world around us.

Here is the order in which I believe I/we must hate sin:

1.  First, I must hate the sin in my own life.
2.  Second, I must hate the sin in my marriage/family.
3.  Third, I must hate sin in the body of Christ.
4.  Fourth, I must hate the sin in the world.

Why?

1.  If I don't hate the sin in my own life, I can't teach my wife/family how to live and walk by the Spirit.

2.  If I don't hate the sin in my marriage/family, I can't teach the body of Christ how to live and walk by the Spirit.

3.  If I don't hate the sin in the body of Christ, how can I claim to love?  To reach the world, the church must live and walk by the Spirit.

4.  If I don't hate the sin in the world, how can I say I love God?  Everyone has an eternity to spend somewhere.

What's the point of this post?

Love God so much that you hate sin.  Hate sin so much that you love sinner's.  Love sinner's so much that they learn to love the God....and begin to hate sin.

Just a simple thought I've been wrestling with.  I don't have it all figured out, and I'm still begging God to reveal more.  Share your thoughts.

In His Love,
brad

great day at Relevant!

God is so incredibly faithful!  we had a great time at church today, worshiping as a body through music, communion, teaching and offering.  what a challenging day.  the big idea:  The Root Determines The Fruit.  What does that mean?  Read Galatians 5:19-26.  Today we went through 22-26.

Get this, please:

When the Holy Spirit is in control of your life, HE will produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  You can't produce those things in your life, and if you have some without the others.....they're counterfeit!  wow! and ouch!

but you know what's awesome?  those things don't contradict the law of God.  they live it out!  beautiful.

stop trying to grow in these areas.  start surrendering to God, at the cross of Christ, and let the Holy Spirit control your life.....and these beautiful things we all want to be....will be produced in us.

i pray that every eye that reads this will pursue the glory of God this week.

Surely we can change something....if we're changed first.

in His love,
brad

Contrast

Darkness.
People stumbling, trying to find their way out.
But they can't see the door.

Light a lantern.
Everyone can see, because the dark is only the absence of light.
When light is introduced, darkness dies.

Even when it feels like it does, darkness has no power over light.
Step out of the shadows.
Step into the Light.

Painfully, nothing is hidden in it.
Everyone will see all our imperfections.
Everyone will see the parts of us that embarrass us.
But in the light, there is grace.
Because all in the light, remember the darkness.
And we all have our embarrassing parts as well.

Please, step out of the shadows.
Step into the Light.

in His love,
brad o'hara

The kind of man I want to be.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body.

-Ephesians 5:25-30