"The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)"
In the easiest understanding, Paul is telling Timothy this: "We want people to know, understand and receive the Person of Christ! We tell you these things so that people get a load of Jesus, they experience the fullness of Christ." There is a such a sweet chime to that name, isn't there? Such a bold strength to "Christ?" In this passage, Paul is calling the people to a deep perseverance in truth. I don't mean on the little details of doctrine, but I mean on the Head of doctrine and spiritual activities. Paul is saying everything we do is to love people. We want people to be found in Christ, treasuring and enjoying every aspect of His precious glory. If Christ was any less than perfect, could He be treasured? If love did not seek out the most precious blessing, would it be true love? So, Paul says, the aim of our charge is love. The absolute high priority of writing was to bring the people into the greatest of blessing that Paul had ever known. Paul wanted them to know Jesus, the narrow Way, and he calls Timothy to walk and preach that narrow Way. To keep proper, Christ-centered, doctrine and in doing so, bring many into a grand intimacy with Christ.
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)"
What do we have outside of love? Really, all is vain if it is not generated form love, that deep passion to know and make known the intimate treasure of Christ. If it is not generated from love, it is damaging to our own reception and enjoyment of intimacy with Christ. If you're not loving, you're not treasuring Christ and you're not giving the fullest of glory to the worthy God and King. Our greatest command is to love. We are called to pursue Christ in all things. When Paul tells the Corinthians that not all things are helpful, he means that it may be good (okay) to enjoy certain things in the world, but it is not helpful, meaning, it is not of love. These enjoyments, although they're not sin, they are vain and unproductive. they don't bring life. They don't bring truth or joy. They are temporal things that will pass away, yet, love remains. Love is a relational, yet very firm concept. It involves compassion and care, but always drives upward to the Person of Christ. This is not a closed mind, this is a real, active, living mind. Our heart is to bring people into the fullness of Christ, for "Christ is all and in all." Christ is the essence of creation and all was created to treasure Him, moment by moment. We have been given the grace to pursue the glory of Christ in all things, to make Him known to the broken and downtrodden, bringing every promised blessing to the weak, vulnerable and hurting.
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. (1 Corinthians 13:11)"
Growing up in faith is learning that we are to be spent for the sake of everyone else. We aren't always called to worldly weak, impoverished lives, but we are called to live in such a manner that would suggest we hold value to nothing but the treasuring of Christ in all things, by all people. We are not enslaved to the chains of this world, we have a greater calling. We are God's children and children are free to love. Children haven't a clue in the world of the needs that are constantly being met in their lives. Children just care for those who are sad and worry about having fun when they're with those who are fun with them. They run into the arms of those who comfort them and protect them. Children know when they're being loved. Although, we're called to grow up into maturity, to reason and edify, rather than running to every fleeting emotion that we've been given. In maturity, we've come to a realization that we have One who we can trust. The things that once phased us, don't phase us and the things that once brought us pleasure aren't what we find to bring us pleasure. Grandparents don't run around seeking the next person to have fun with. Rather, grandparents manage to enjoy each little bundle of joy that hops into their lap. Each parent works their tail off, for what purpose? To see the growth and flourishing of their children. Growing up is a change of joy, from a self-centered joy, to an abounding joy in serving and beholding the fruit of the seeds we've planted and watered. Mature believers love with all their heart and with all that they are, they give. Their supreme joy is to love others, for this is their calling: to enable and empower those underneath them to know Christ, to trust Christ in all things, to believe and wait upon Him. We are called to forsake the small things of the world, but only to trust Christ with all things. Maturity is shown in perspective, the more you trust Christ with yourself, the more you'll be loving others, rejoicing and crying with tears over the testimony of Christ in all things.
"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)"
Eternal things become our focus when we begin trusting Christ. When we continually walk in obedience, we begin to recognize how beautifully and bountifully blessed Christ is. When we are walking in obedience, we are walking in Christ's love, Christ's life and in that, Christ is more than faithful to provide for our physical needs. When we trust Christ, we seek things above and are available to witness Christ more and more, until we truly are walking with His love moment by moment. We must take every moment and bring it under subjection to His will, which is Him blessing us through our obedience to Him. We lean upon the King and will find His beauty overwhelming us, our actions and the thoughts that surrounding people have of us. When we trust Christ, we love because we cast off worry for ourselves and have allowed ourselves to be poured out to serve others. This is what is eternal: to trust Christ in all things, but in that trust, reaching out and giving ourselves up that they would know Him. We are a blessing when we trust Christ. We showcase Christ when we obey in our trust. We behold our most wonderful treasure when our living testimony bears fruit in others. We become witnesses of more than just our own testimony but others and we can say with Paul that those whom we've loved are "our recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. (2 Corinthians 3:2)" Let us be driven to be recognized by the love that we show and grow in others; to be commended in those whom we've loved, planted seeds and grown up into maturity. Let us be known for love, for "the aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)"
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