Unsaved people can do the things that the Lord tells believers to do and have a sense of pride about it. This is not the love that Christ is describing in the entirety of His Word. His love is much deeper and flows from the richness of His very being. His love leaps at the presence of another believer who loves Him and possesses His Holy Spirit.
It is not a superficial friendliness that we can experience in any secular gathering, but a devotion to those who are not only like minded but share the radical allegiance to a Holy God that only those who walk closely with Him can experience. This oneness of Spirit transcends superficial friendly chatter.
The desire to share the truths of the Word and bathe in the wisdom of God is overwhelming at times. One has to wonder about the dryness that overtakes most of our "fellowship" gatherings, when the songs are sung in a utilitarian and mundane low tone, and the enthusiasm that should overtake us as we worship Him is absent. We have to wonder where that love of the Lord is hiding.
Friendliness does not constitute fellowship and happiness is not evidence of the joy of the Lord. Emotionalism does not reveal spirituality, but enthusiasm for the Lord is evident everywhere we go and with whomever we are visiting, especially those who possess the Holy Spirit. There can be no greater fellowship between those of like mind than the melding of the Holy Spirit within each believer with each other believer.
When there is competition, apathy, pride, arrogance and guarded hiding, there is worldliness. When we have been made free by the blood of our Savior, we can be transparent, honest and open. There is bondage in the superficial rote of mechanical Christianity but freedom and faith among those who have left their own way to follow the way of the Master.
We must ask ourselves if we are Christians who care to appear spiritual but will not submit to the Lord, still wanting to control our own Spirituality, or are we believers who wish to let go of our "image", our false spirituality, which we display to others for self glorification. We must let go of our false way, to trust and follow Christ. He is not interested in our image, but our love and devotion. He said clearly that He does not want our sacrifice but our heart.
Personal relationships with other believers is the same, we do not desire random acts of kindness out of duty, but everything done out of the love of Christ that dwells deep within our souls. That love ultimately glorifies God. The other kind of superficial devotion out of duty glorifies self and tends to be expectation oriented.
To trust Christ means to let go of our own way and follow His. It's all there in the Book, in case we are not sure what it looks like. But that is not enough, we must ask the Holy Spirit to show us what we need to see that we may be blinded to, and then He will show us.
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