Sunday, February 11, 2018

That’s how freedom grows

Bit.ly/freedomgrows by Joel A'Bell

"You say, "I am allowed to do anything" —but not everything is good for you. You say, "I am allowed to do anything"—but not everything is beneficial."
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/1co.10.23.nlt

"For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself.""
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/gal.5.14.nlt

To love God = to obey God

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing."
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/1co.13.1-3.nlt

Struggle to live not struggle to love

If we have love in our life, we will exercise these attributes 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

"It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?"
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:13-15‬ ‭MSG‬‬
http://bible.com/97/gal.5.13-15.msg

Love others as you love yourself

""I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."
‭‭John‬ ‭15:1-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/jhn.15.1-5.nlt

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/gal.5.22-23.nlt

When fruits are plucked too early, they will taste bad.

Bible uses tree as an analogy because it means that these fruits can regrow once their fruits are harvested so that we will never run out but remember to water and prune it.