Study #25: LAMED
LAMED: THE GOAD OF DISCIPLESHIP ( PART 7 )
THE 5 TRAITS OF A DISCIPLE
- LOVE
A disciple lives in healthy community with the people of God.
But how do we love the unlovable, forgive the unforgivable, touch the untouchables?
Only with the Agape ( Greek ) or Chesed ( Hebrew ) love of God not out of our limited good intentions and selfish definition of ” love” ( ” If you are good to me, I shall be good to you” ).
- The greatest commandment – according to our Lord – is to love God wholeheartedly and to love others sacrificially ( Mark 12: 28-34 ).
- It is our lifestyle of love that shows the world we are the disciples and followers of Christ ( John 13: 34-35 ).
- If our acts of charity, goodwill, sympathy or empathy are without love, we are as worthless as a clanging cymbal ( 1 Corinthians 13 ).
- We are commanded to forgive our enemies ( Matthew 6:14-15 ).
Abba Father, so many believers think that they are basically decent folks who need a bit of improvement. But they fail miserably at this test of love when they hold grudges and badmouth each other in their holy huddles, prayer groups, Sunday worship and now their online chat groups. That is why this trait of a disciple calls for a lifestyle of repentance. In the New Testament, there are two words for repentance – which taken together means literally ” to change the mind”. In the Old Testament repentance means ” to turn back”. Repentance thus is an act of love towards God and men…a change of mind that results in a life change.
Matthew 6:14-15 King James Version (KJV)
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
