DO WHAT LOVE WOULD DO

DO WHAT LOVE WOULD DO?

Do what faith requires, That's what Jesus does towards you,
Do what faith requires, Follow God.
Do What faith requires, Don't be led just by your eyes,
Crucify the flesh with its desires, In you.

Do what hope demands, Humble yourself under God's hand,
Do what hope demands, Believe the Lord,
Do what hope demands, By the Spirit of the Son of Man,
God's promises are yea and amen, For you.

Do what love would do, As God forgives, You forgive, too,
Do what love would do, God will judge,
Do what love would do, Be salt & light, Be good news,
Goodness and mercy will surely follow you, Yes you!

God has given me songs for years now. I hardly ever say I wrote this song or that song. Usually, I say I received this or that song. After giving me a song, the Lord usually instructs me in what He has given me so that I learn more of Him, see more of Him afterwards. Hopefully, He HAS more of me afterwards, too.

J. Vernon McGhee says that Jesus spoke just once that we must be born again. He said that we must follow him ninety seven times. My human senses don’t help me all that much in my quest to follow Jesus until they are in subjection to my spirit through His Spirit. To subjugate my senses I have to crucify them because they answer to my appetites, my lusts and my feelings. I choose daily whether to follow the urges of my flesh or the gentle prompts of His Spirit. Faith is my response to God which results in following Him.

What is the basis of faith, I asked one day. He answered as I reflected on this song’s second stanza. It is hope. Hope is the trust I have in the unseen, unfulfilled promises of God. He gives me a living hope through His resurrection, that is, a hope which He empowers by His many fulfilled promises and by the breath of His living Spirit within me which convinces me of spiritual realities that only He can reveal and confirm. My part is to believe. Jesus said that if we could not believe on the basis of His words then we should believe on the basis of His works. But we must believe. I have begun to see what I believe, but as through a glass darkly. I see enough to believe what I don’t see because He is Faithful Who promised.

Devotion is love set in motion. I learned that from a spiritual song, too. Love does stuff, good stuff, because God does good stuff. Love can’t be depicted only in what one does NOT do, but in what one DOES DO. Jesus entire ministry life is summed up in one verse of scripture. Acts 10:38 says that Jesus was anointed with power and with the Holy Spirit and He went about doing good and healing all who are oppressed of the devil for God was with Him.

A great deal can be done to advance the cause of Christ if it doesn’t matter to us who gets the credit. So forget about your brother and what is wrong with them and what they do. Let God deal with them just like you let Him deal with you. And GO. Be salt. Be light. Be good news to the folks in your own universe. Surely goodness and mercy will FOLLOW YOU and He set a table for you before your enemies because, GOD IS WITH YOU WHEN YOU FOLLOW HIM.