Living it out day by day

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Spurgeon once said, "Reader, if you would joy in Christ's glory hereafter, He must be glorious in your sight now."

The way to show both Christ and the world that He IS glorious to us now, is to glorify Him. We do this not only during formal worship but also by living a life bringing Him glory.

What brings Him glory and how does that look day to day?

In John 14, we read, Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23 ESV)

John reiterates Jesus' teaching in 1 John: Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. (1 John 5:1-2 NASB)

We're all probably familiar with what Jesus called the great and first commandment, but do we know what living it out looks like in day to day life?

When Jesus was asked,  “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 
He replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40 ESV)

One of the ways to live it out is showing love and grace to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Scripture says that if we do not love our brethren it shows we actually don't love God!

If anyone says "I love God" and yet hates his fellow Christian, he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20 NET)

Jesus said, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  (John 13:35 ESV)

and again,

But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes  (1 John 2:11 ESV)

When we are born of God, we can give grace as we have received grace. 

Lord, may we show grace to our brothers and sisters and love sacrificially as you have taught us to love. Amen.