Love is the greatest

Our challenge at Amarillo First Nazarene over the last two months has been, "love Amarillo." We have been challenged by God's Word as it repeatedly calls Christ's church to a whole different way of living. To live a life of love is the holiness that Christ is looking for in His church. We, the body of Christ, must have a different look, feel and smell from the world. We are to be the aroma of Christ-the aroma of holy love. Patience, kindness, gentleness, self control, forgiveness-God's Word defines this love in very practical ways that challenge each of us. It is a radical lifestyle that requires the work of the Holy Spirit. When we walk in love, we bring life into the situation. When we do otherwise it leads to death. We can be like Cain or like Christ (1 John 3:12). I find it too easy to be like Cain who butchered Abel. The Holy Spirit must be in control. His cleansing presence is not an option. Christ's eternal life in us is a powerful presence to make us different from the world around us, and to help us make a redemptive difference. Self must be laid aside if the world is to see Christ in us. This all begins as we grasp how great the love is that God has lavished on us (1 Jn. 3:1).