CLINGING

"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good."

Romans 12:9

     What is love? The question of all questions. What is this complicated and perplexed word? The Scriptures tell us that God pouring out His blood for us to bring us life while we were dead in sin, this is love. God is love (1 John 3:16, 4:8). We saw love through Jesus Christ. Through the life of the One they called Jeshua. Giving was found in love. Sacrifice was found in love. Relating was found in love. Teaching was found in love. Caring was found in love. Eating was found in love. Fellowship was found in love. Living...Christ came and lived out love through living life amongst us. With that in mind, looking at this verse's instruction: "let love", let your living, "be without hypocrisy", without fake-ness. Let your living be transparent. Live in such a way that you can give an account for your actions. Jesus ad a reason and purpose behind all He did. He did not waste time, He lived for the will of God. A life full of conviction, purpose, and reason. His life was far from hypocrisy, He spoke truth, He lived by the truth of God's words. View how many times He quoted the Scriptures in His earthly ministry. Love speaks truth, and sometimes that truth being revealed can pierce, but knowledge for growth through truth brought into the light, if withheld, that would not be love. Love wears no face, and puts up no face...love is transparent. Clothed only in humility. See our Jesus who, being fully God during His time of living and showing us love, fully God beneath that skin, but cloaking Himself in humility, taking on the form of humanity and living in the flesh through the Spirit...He daily wore love. 

     Do i shutter at evil? Do i flee from it? According to this verse, if I am to live in love, than i must have a disgust for evil. To no longer tolerate that which pierced the face of love to a tree. Seem to be an impossible task? Ah another great remind of the mystery of that first word, love. If we are walking and living in love of our Savior, than our love for Him will compel us to abhor evil. It's not that we will masterly overcome the temptations of sin and tame the flesh, we are fallen, it is in our nature to cling to evil things; nevertheless, we will find that the more we love, the more we will desire non-else but the One we love, and in Him is no evil.

     When a heart has committed to loving Him, and has let go of it's ties to evil, those hands are now in need of clinging to something else...cling to what is good. Who first uttered such a word? Was it not our God? He created all, and saw that "it was good"(Genesis 1:4). The working of His hands, things that come from Him, His heart, His ways, He is good. Clinging to Him is clinging to that which is good, and when hands are truly clinging to something, there leaves no room for anything else. 

     I need to not shun truth when it reveals itself, but i need to let go of my clinging to self, allow the evil in me to die, that love may refine me, and i may cling to good things, cling to my Savior and the good things He has pre-ordained that I should walk in (Eph. 2:10). Amen.