Love From Afar

LOVE FROM AFAR

Sometimes in life, we must Love (Agape) people from afar. This usually is the case when they choose to take “the wide gate and broad path that leads to destruction.” Matthew 7:13

God’s Word admonishes us to separate ourselves from those whom we are not equally yoked with. Those who seek or pursue sin and, with a hardened recalcitrant heart, refuse to repent or acknowledge their sinful ways. Even if that person is your spouse, child, parent, sibling, boyfriend/girlfriend or best friend, God requires us to step away from them lest we follow them to our own destruction. “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.” 1 Corinthians 5:11.

Those who wallow in their sin and unfruitful lives, God expects us to diligently pray for them so that if they are a backslider, that they would seek redemption, deliverance, forgiveness and restoration.

‘If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that “every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” Matthew 18:15-17

We are all but sinners saved by God’s Grace. Everybody sins. Mature Christians sin, Pastors, Evangelists, Preachers, Priests, Teachers, Spouses, etc. We have seen some fall from Grace publicly, others we bore private witness to their destructive behaviors. The most learned of Bible scholars and anointed servants. There are truly none on earth that are righteous , The Bible says “no! Not one!”

That is the sin nature of man and woman. We are never truly delivered from sin until we are transformed to the Heavenly Spirit realm. Even so, we strive always towards the High Calling of Jesus Christ. We do not give into sin, wallow in it, nor are we to conform to it, pursue it or turn to it as a last resort.

Sin separates us from God! It separates us from one another, which is why we may need, as an act of self-preservation, to Love someone from afar!

We each must choose whom we will serve. Whom we shall follow….Christ or Satan? Good or Evil? The Word or The World?

God’s grace is designed to bring people to repentance so that they can be forgiven and restored to their Maker’s service and to each other.

Often people are not aware of the hurt they cause to others. Certainly the disciples had little idea of the grief they caused the Lord Jesus on occasions (Matthew 8:23-27). Jesus knew that believers needed to have a method of dealing with sin-separation, so He taught the disciples the need to confront sin in Love, looking for recognition of the offence, repentance and the restoration of mutual Love.

Loving from afar means that the door to forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration is and should always be open to the wayward Christian and sinner to walk through. It also means that we must throw their transgressions against us into the Sea of Forgetfulness, just as God did for us when Jesus shed His sin-free blood for us on Calvary.

Loving from afar does not necessarily mean that you restore the person to the same role or position they had had previously, but it does mean that we are to restore the person back into the Body of Christ. From there, God will decide what is next in that’s person personal journey. We have but to pray for them and their souls. Amen 🙏🏽