I RISE

Uplifted by the urge,

Now I’m determined to surge,

Mistakes in the past,

A new day has come to fast,

Time to take a stand,

Falling again is not the plan,

Despite the opposition,

I must fight like I’m on a mission,

Regardless of my condition,

I must raise up and assume a winning position,

A faithful reality

             

  When it’s hard do what we do?  We must take a risk which is a situation involving exposure to danger. There comes a time when a risk has to be taken but are we bold enough to step out of our comfort zone to do what we have to do to make the change happen in our life. When we doubt ourselves and our ability to change what do we do? How do we continue to rise after the hardships and flashbacks of continual failure?  How can we change the routine and free ourselves of being bound by the unseen? What about dealing with the unexpected blows and the desire to abandon our dreams? Is there any advice on how to respond when we doubt the creative ability inside of us? How do we survive the downer day?

                A step in a direction of looking up and getting up is reviewing our dream again. What is the source of the dream? Are we living someone else expectations of our life? Once we are able to identify where the dream is coming from we have an anchor in the middle of our mental storms. This anchor can serve as our navigational system when life starts trying to take us down the road of uncertainty. We must fight not to allow someone opinions to become our idol. As we dust ourselves off from the ashes we have to look at the mental transactions that we are thinking about daily. Are we profiting from the thoughts that become our behaviors? These behaviors determine if we have a positive or negative outcome in our lives which can lead to depression or high anxiety states.

 We have been liberated to fulfill the purpose in our lives. This lifestyle is one where our dreams can be fruitful, multiply, replenish and subdue the earth with the dream that the creator has empowered us with. This dream will help us subdue negativity and dominate everything that tries to get us to not live with a purpose. This takes place when we become curious about a lifestyle where we are not afraid to use our faith to stop being complacent in life.  

  “The fundamental presuppositions underlying the “Biblical Christian Approach” to CBT   Incorporate key elements: (1) the advocacy of God’s love, found in empathy & relationships, (2)     evaluating historical experiences developmentally to uncover “unresolved” issues, (3) focusing       on the subjective significance of spirituality and its impact on their lives and religious convictions       (revealed through the Holy Spirit), where truth makes itself known, (4) attending to cognitive issues that influence behavior where truth offers a meaningful change in reconstructive methods, (5) illuminating the power of the Holy Spirit to heal and effect behavior that influences emotional outcomes, where dependence evokes transformative change, (6) focusing on the relevance of community and relationships to subordinate change, and (7) to employing methods  containing scriptural truth to provide meaning in suffering, where opening one’s self for God’s love plants the seeds developmentally for lasting spiritual growth.”     (https://www.researchgate.net/...Use_of_Prayer_and_Scripture_in_Cognitive-Behavior...)

These elements that are mentioned are strategies to grow spiritually and live a life that will cause us to have joy in the moment of the storm. We can navigate through the mental storm if we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us to all truth. As mentioned in the article God’s love will produce the seeds that are planted in us, so we can live in the spirit and not after the flesh. Once we live in the spirit we have just discovered a peace that only comes when we live in faith and not fear.  

Faith replaces the negative shout

The negative shout is a scream based on a desire that lead us down a path of curiosity which opens us up to an awareness after this awareness have been satisfied it develops over a course of time and a habit develops. Once the habit is developed eventually this habit can serve as a distraction to goals that we try and reach, and this is the problem. Solutions resolve problems and it might be easier said than done when it comes to addressing the issue with ignoring the negative whispers but the question we have to ask ourselves is how tired are we with lack of progress, stagnation, procrastination and lame excuses with terrible explanations? Change is possible.

"Emotions--particularly those provoked by negative events--can cause                 distorted,inaccurate memories.

  Experiments conducted at Cornell's Memory and Neuroscience                            Laboratory show that experiences that stimulate negative emotions are              very bad for the accuracy of children's memories but even worse for                  adults. When an experience has negative emotional qualities, true                      memory levels are lowest and false memory levels are highest."

  http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2010/07/adults-recall-negative-                events-less-accurately-children

We can not let the screams  of the past to last. The damaging results that they can have on our mental health is crucial. This can lead to depression or anxiety attacks because research shows that they stir up false memories that can lead to fear of outcomes, events, people, etc. In the bible Jesus always tells a person to be it unto them according to their faith. A lot of individuals wrestle with being free from various memories the Lord saysCast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." I Peter 5:7 Once this takes place then we must forget, reach and press and understand that this is the only way out the mess. What about our dreams? If we allow the dream to be fruitful in our minds with a mentality that multiplies this idea it can subdue the false memories. Yet, we must allow our faith to dominate the fear and if we become curious with this process we will truly be blessed. Blessed with what?  We will obtain a level of faith that replaces the shouts of negativity which are false memories that comes to steal away our hope in accomplishing our dreams. 

"

Can we recycle a cycle of progress in our lives?

The original cycle goes back to the creation of man. Yes, we will look at the creative side of mankind and not all the other scientifically discussions that are established today. According to the word of God man was created to be fruitful, multiply, replenish, subdue and exercise dominance over the Earth. Why not use this original purpose towards producing ideas that are seeded with hope? As these ideas develop in our heads we share them with others by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Once these ideas are shared the message of hope is multiplying throughout the Earth. The message of hope then becomes the words of restoration that restores lives, communities and families back to their original purpose. Once this original purpose is enhanced by hope negative whispers will decrease as optimism will increase.

If we were researched fear memories it develops from the classical conditioning model these memories develop from a paring that is described as non-threatening stimulus to a conditioned stimulus, with a noxious stimulus which creates a fear memory. 

“Fear conditioning is a form of classical conditioning, the type of associative learning pioneered by Ivan Pavlov in the 1920s. It involves the repeated pairing of a non-threatening stimulus such as a light, called the conditioned stimulus, with a noxious stimulus such as a mild shock, called the unconditioned stimulus, until the animal shows a fear response not just to the shock but to the light alone, called a conditioned response.”

A present day example of a desire this desire which is non-threatening is the conditioned stimulus. The desire becomes a previously neutral stimulus that, after becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus, eventually comes to trigger a conditioned response. This conditioned response centers around the curiosity of the pleasure we get from the desire. The noxious stimulus is the thing desired which serves as the unconditioned stimulus and once a response is developed this becomes a conditioned response. This conditioned response develops into a habit and the fear of leaving this conditioned response must be replaced in order for the cycle to be broken. Yes, the quote mentioned shock and elaborated on the response to the shock to the light. However, in regards to the desire the shock is eventually the desire becomes a distraction, but if we live in denial it’s hard accept that this behavior is subtracting something out of our life. At this point if subtraction is taking place then we need to replace the negative with a positive. Evidence of this fear conditioned response is noticed in alcoholics, drug addicts, sex addicts, etc. These addicts suffer from addictions but remember it all started with a desire.

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. ¹⁵ Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. ¹⁶ Do not err, my beloved brethren.”

James 1:16

The writer wanted to make sure that we did not err because the ultimate subtraction is out of life. In James 1 is a prime example of the fear conditioning process the lust which is the desire leads to an attraction that really is a distraction. After we follow up on this attraction curiosity leads to our disobedience or defiance from our original state which eventually leads to our demise which is death. This process develops into habits and addictions that are fueled by the negative whispers that come from the fear memory. We are held hostage and in bondage by our desires, therefore we need the Holy Spirit to do what it does which is to empower us to override the desires and become curious about acting like we were created to act. If not we continue to allow our desires to develop thoughts which are seeds that multiply into our behavior. This behavior destroys instead of restore and it subdues all the good qualities that bring peace in our life. There is no peace in our life if we are constantly regretting the choices that we are making from the negative whispers. This is why it is imperative to have the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us into all truth because now we are adding and not subtracting from a peaceful mind. This peaceful mind comes from acting in a way that adds and not subtracts from us enjoying life.

          Also, there are times when this fear memory is necessary to aide in our survival skills or remind us of unpleasant experiences that we do not need to repeat in our life.

“Much of our natural fear conditioning is to our benefit. We touch the hot stove once and learn not to try it again. However, sometimes fear becomes unmanageable, as in cases of agoraphobia, whose sufferers are afraid to venture out of their houses, or in post-traumatic stress disorder, which causes some rape victims and war veterans to experience terrible flashbacks.”http://brainconnection.brainhq.com/2005/08/26/fear-conditioning-how-the-brain-learns-about-danger/.  

The unmanageable states are where the power of the Holy Spirit comes in as an experience that can override any pattern that is trying to get us in a state where a peaceful mind is enjoyed. The Holy Spirit also reminds us of who we are and what we are not. The unmanageable states of fear are the whispers that try to convince us that we are not the ones that can subdue negativity.

^“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:37

Are you being the best you can be?

Many articles explain how if a person is curious then they will not struggle with the fear of the unknown.

"Think of how a child learns. It’s all through curiosity. “I wonder what happens if I put my hand in the fire.” They’re not afraid because they don’t know any better. But as children grow, they learn not to be so curious and not to take risks, because that might result in pain, failure or rejection. Curiosity dies, fear wins, we lose."  http://ndoherty.com/curiosity- vs-fear/"

The failure to take risk can cause many to abandon success if we look at this scenario of how not being curious can lead to fear. However, we can be curious about something and it can lead us to perform actions that lead us down a path that causes us to get stuck and then we will be afraid to get out of the cycle of madness. 

            "When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be                       tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when                    they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire                  has conceived, it birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."                   James 1:13-15

The curiosity is in the temptation and if we follow the downward spiral of this curious nature it can lead to sin. Before we die we would live a life where habits can ruin us and the motivation behind the habits is fear of not letting the habit go. Therefore, the pattern starts with a curious nature and can cause fear to be what reinforce the pattern that will ultimately lead to death.   

“Curious people do not always perform consequentialist cost-benefit analyses and                 may be tempted to seek the missing information even when the outcome is                           expectedly.” harmful.'Read more:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-                     3529915/Why-curiosity-gets-better-brains-hardwired-seek-answers-know-cause-                   harm.html

Research even admits that it can be dangerous to be curious if a cost-benefit analysis is not done which again can ultimately lead to death. In order to overcome fear of being enslaved to a habit somewhere we have to develop enough strength to want to change. This only occurs from our desperation which is what we must develop first.

STEPS TO ALLOWING CURIOSITY TO LEAD US TO OUR MENTAL PROMISE LAND

• Become curious of how we can develop a replacement for the habit that started with our curiosity.
• Allow faith to empower us to trust a God that has created us to be fruitful, multiply, replenish, subdue and have dominion. 

The goal is to now become curious about the ideas that we will produce. Then we use our curiosity to see how we can make these ideas spread in a positive way. Once we develop what we want we now we can work towards restoring things that have been damaged which produces solutions. We can bring under subjection all the thoughts that make us feel rejected when we exercise our supreme authority through the power of God.

            Whispers of negativity the voices of the past has underlying causes that produce symptoms that behaviorist tries to treat yet the underlying causes are not address. This is where we have to come out of denial and label the negativity as ideas that subtract and not add to our happiness. Becoming curious of the opposite of what the suggestions from the whispers of the past is a nice way to start to address these underlying issues.

“Systematic desensitization is based on the idea that abnormal behavior is learned. The biological approach would disagree and say we are born with a behavior and therefore it must be treated medically.

SD only treats the observable and measurable symptoms of a phobia. This is a significant weakness because cognitions and emotions are often the motivators of behavior and so the treatment is only dealing with symptoms not the underlying causes.” https://www.simplypsychology.org/Systematic-Desensitisation.html

 What is the cause of the underlying behavior? A whisper of negativity that is motivated by a fear memory which causes a person in psychotherapy language to become stuck and this memory is often suppressed. Yet, when it’s time to behave in a productive manner this suppressed memory triggers the fear and hinders progress toward a goal. How do we ignore these suppressed memories and not allow them to dictate our behavior? A spiritual method that can help us not answer the past is by replacing the whispers with spiritual reminders of God promises as we are either in the state of depression or a high anxiety state.

“First, the patient is taught a deep muscle relaxation technique and breathing exercises. E.g. control over breathing, muscle de-tensioning or meditation.

Second, the patient creates a fear hierarchy starting at stimuli that create the least anxiety (fear) and building up in stages to the most fear provoking images.

Third, the patient works their way up the fear hierarchy, starting at the least unpleasant stimuli and practicing their relaxation technique as they go. When they feel comfortable with this (they are no longer afraid) they move on to the next stage in the hierarchy. If the client becomes upset they can return to an earlier stage and regain their relaxed state.” https://www.simplypsychology.org/Systematic-Desensitisation.html

 As this Systematic Desensitization is practiced reciting scriptures is very vital towards fighting these whispers that stimulate fear and direct our behaviors toward undesirable results in our lives. During the deep muscle relaxation technique we can recite the scripture in 2Timothy 1:7. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” As we move on towards the hierarchy phase we tell ourselves we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13) The added part to this is that we expose ourselves not mentally but physically to whatever challenges is presented by actively moving towards our goals. This behavior will replace the images of fear that is derived from the fear memory that holds us hostage from our progress in life. The third phase in the systematic desensitization model helps us practice this one effective step that is mentioned in the bible;

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,¹⁴ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

As we consider the fact that we have not made it to our final destination we have to keep in mind that we still have to fight. After the Holy Spirit has come into our life with power to override the negative past we must forget, reach and press away from the negative whispers. Only way we can experience this awesome life changing event is when we become curious about changing our past behavior. 

Choice

Reading a blog I stumbled on an article explaining how you can train your brain to get what you really want. I was intrigued because faith is a process that trains the brain to go after what it does not see to make it a reality. In the article the writer stated

     "Our brains are constantly filtering an unfathomable amount of sensory inputs: sounds,  smells, visuals, and more. Most of this information goes consciously unrecognized."

​​

What does this statement have to do with training the brain well if we slow down we can obtain our heart desire by developing a laser beam focus but this focus must be on what we want. This is the step that must replace fear of the unknown instead of the what if, we replace it with determining what we want and focus on what we need to do to obtain it. In this process many feel like faith is not necessary just a get out and make it happen attitude. This get out and make it happen attitude is the hope which is derived from faith to accomplish goals. The article placed emphasis on mentioning the importance of identifying what we want. 

       *What are you seeing everywhere? This is perhaps the clearest reflection of your conscious                   identity.

       *However, once you know what you want--and it intensely arouses your attention -- you will                  notice simpler and easier solutions to your questions

       *When your mind takes hold of an idea, you do everything in your power to manifest it

         Just because other people have limiting beliefs does not mean you need to. Again, the                          advice you take and the people you emulate matters

It's amazing how biblical principles is found in these statements because if we want to reach the objective that emphasis is placed on, then we have to act off of what we want.

       "Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith, be it unto you.”  Matthew 9:29

Maybe this is why a lot of people was not heal in the bible because they did not know exactly what they wanted. They know they want to be healed but they are confused on the methods in which Jesus wanted to heal them. It appeared that they were afraid not to stop trusting a system that informed them on how they healing could take place. Therefore, the lack of their faith left them with the lack of a healing. Can this be identified in being afraid by being to scared to walk away from the familiar. The fear to make a decision has paused a lot of people because the absence of a cause. Reality is in what is manifested daily and choices is what causes realization to be manifested daily.

​​

       *When you know what you want, you notice opportunities most people aren't aware of. You                  also have the rare courage to seize those opportunities without procrastination. What you focus             on expands.

       *Courage doesn't just involve saying "Yes" it also involves saying "No." But how could you                possibly say "No" to certain opportunities if you don't know what you want? You can't. Like                most people, you'll be seduced by the best thing that comes around.

        http://www.inc.com/benjamin-p-hatrdy/this-is-how-you-train-your-brain-to-get-what-you-                   really-want.html

When God created man he created man in his image with the ability to multiply and based on the above article it mentions that what we focus on expands in our life. Therefore, fear of progression have to leave and will leave once the mind is trained to focus on what it wants.  This mindset is similar to everyone that was healed in the bible, and today it is possible to experience the reality of "According to your faith be it unto you."

      

Perfect Love

WOW I could not believe that our Sunday school lesson focused on how love can cast out fear.

 PURE LOVE    03.19.17

 

FOCUS VERSE

 

I John 4:18

 

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

 

FOCUS TEXT

 

I John 4:7–21

 

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

 

For love is of God. He is the fountain, author, parent, and commander of love; it is the sum of his law and gospel: And every one that loveth  is born of God, 1 John 4:7.

The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love. The new nature in the children of God is the offspring of his love. The fruit of the Spirit is love, Gal. 5:22. Love comes down from heaven.

For God is love , his nature and essence are love, his will and works are primarily love.

Not that this is the only conception we ought to have of him; we have found that he is light as well as love (1 John 1:5), love is natural and essential to His divine Majesty.

 

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

 

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

 

This is argued from the display and demonstration that he hath given of it; as, 1. That he hath loved us, such as we are: In this was manifest the love of God towards us (1 John 4:9), towards us mortals, us ungrateful rebels. God commandeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, Rom. 5:8. Strange that God should love impure, vain, vile, dust and ashes! He has loved us at such a rate, at such an incomparable value as he has given for us; he has given his own, only-beloved, blessed Son for us.

    

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

 

Propitiate:  to gain or regain the favor or goodwill of :  appease

 

Herein is love (unusual unprecedented love), not that we loved God, but that he loved us. He loved us, when we had no love for him, when we lay in our guilt, misery, and blood, when we were undeserving, ill-deserving, polluted, and unclean. He gave us His Son to die for us, to die under the law and curse of God, to bear our sins in his own body, to be crucified, to be wounded in his soul, and pierced in his side, to be dead and buried for us; and then, For such an end, for such a good and beneficial end to us—that we might live through him (1 John 4:9), might live for ever through him, might live in heaven, live with God, and live in eternal glory and blessedness with him and through him.

 

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

 

The example of God should press us. We should be followers (or imitators) of him, as his dear children. The objects of the divine love should be the objects of ours. Do we really have a choice to refuse to love those whom the eternal God hath loved? We should be admirers of his love, and lovers of his love (of the benevolence and complacency that are in him), and consequently lovers of those whom he loves. The general love of God to the world should induce a universal love among mankind. 

 

12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

 

The Christian love is an assurance of the divine inhabitation: If we love one another, God dwelleth in us.

His love is perfected in us. It has obtained its completion in and upon us. God’s love is not perfected in him, but in and with us.

 

His love could not be designed to be ineffectual and fruitless upon us. It is said to be perfected; so faith is perfected by its works, and love perfected by its operations.

 

Examples of God's Love Operations

 

It may appear that the Lord has allowed years of our life to be "squandered". For example, why He dealt with young David as He did?

            This shephard boy was hand selected by the Lord from all the youths of Israel to succeed David as King. Not even Jessie, his father couldn't believe his other sons were overlooked for his youngest. Yet David was designated as the future patriarch of Israel .

            It sounds great, but when you take a closer look at the story, Saul chased David into the wilderness, where he spent fourteen years of his life running from Saul. You would think  from a human perspective, this time as a fugitive was a waste of David's formative years, that those years could have been spent at the local university studying foreign  relations and diplomacy, in preparation for national leadership. God gave David the Kingdom.  God's ways are not like our ways.

 

God's Timing is perfect, even when He appears catastrophically late.

 

Consider the story of Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus, as told in John 11. The members of this little family were among Jesus' closest friends during the time of His Earthly ministry. It was reasonable with the affection Jesus had for them, if Life threatening emergencies arise, and a urgent note or message gets to Him, saying, "Lord the one you love is sick", they had every reason to believe He would respond rather quickly.

            Can you imagine what it must have been like for Mary and Martha waiting and watching the road for the appearance of Jesus. Minutes dragged into hours, hours into days. The wake was before the funeral, this would have allowed Him to give some type of explanation, but no Jesus. The burial and yet no sign of Jesus. He raised Lazarus  from the dead. God's thoughts are not like our thoughts.

 

God's Word is infinitely more reliable than our wayward emotions. Prov. 18:24 declares He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

 

Look at the martyrdom of Stephen, who was stoned to death for proclaiming the name of Christ. And the disciple James, to whom Acts 12 devotes only one verse: King Herod Agrippa "had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword" (Acts 12:2). Tradition tells us that 10 of the 12 disciples were executed ( excluding Judas, who committed suicide, and John, who was exiled).

 

God is not our servant we are His.

 

These are examples of God's love operating in the lives of His people.

 

To truly define the loving nature of God, we must read the accounts given to us in scripture that expresses His love in operation. This will shed light on His loving characteristic traits.

 

You may at times feel like the victim of a cruel joke, Get over the feeling of betrayal and Know that God is with you.

 

Not only with you but in you.

 

13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

 

Now God dwells in us, not by any visible presence, or immediate appearance to the eye, but by his Spirit (1 John 4:13). God has a peculiar residence within each of us.

 

This mutual inhabitation is something more noble and greater than we are acquainted with or can fully comprehend. One would think that to speak of God dwelling in us, is a show of arrogance or cockiness. It would appear that these words aren't fit for us as mere mortals. God said it, I choose to believe it.

 

 

14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

 

15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

 

This confession seems to include faith in the heart as the foundation of it, acknowledgment with the mouth to the glory of God and Christ, and profession in the life and conduct, in opposition to the flatteries or frowns of the world. Thus no man says that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost, by the external attestation and internal operation of the Holy Ghost, 1 Cor. 12:3.

 

16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

 

God is essential and boundless in love; he has incomparable incomprehensible love for, which he has demonstrated in the mission and mediation of his beloved Son. Jesus dying for us.

 

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

 

He will give the crown of righteousness to all that love his appearing. And we have this boldness towards Christ because of our conformity to him: Because as he is so are we in this world, 1 John 4:17. Love hath conformed us to him; as he was the great lover of God and man, he has taught us in our measure to be so too, and he will not deny his own image. Love teaches us to conform in sufferings too; we suffer for him and with him, and therefore cannot but hope and trust that we shall also be glorified together with him, 2 Tim. 2:12.

 

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

 

When love prevails fear ceases. We must here distinguish and judge, between fear and being afraid.

--fear is known to be a disquieting torturing passion, but perfect love casteth out torment, for it teaches the mind a perfect acquiescence (acceptance) and complacency in that perfect love casteth out fear

 

19 We lovhim, because he first loved us.

 

His love is the incentive, the motive, and moral cause of ours. We cannot but love so good a God, who loved us when we were both unloving and unlovely, who loved us at so great a rate, who has been seeking and soliciting our love at the expense of his Son’s blood; and has condescended so that we may be reconciled unto him.

 

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

 

21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

 

His love is the productive cause of ours. To those that love him all things work together for good, to those who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom. 8:28).

We must love God originally and supremely, and others in him. Now, our Christian brethren having a new nature and excellent privileges derived from God, and God having his interest in them as well as in us, it cannot but be a natural suitable obligation that he who loves God should love his brother also.