LOVE,FREEDOM AND DISCIPLINE

‘The love of Christ disciplines us………………………….’ (2 Corinthians 5:14)

‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not Love, I am Like an empty barrel………………………Love never fails……………………… and there are faith, hope and Love but the greatest of this is Love’ (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

'Do not let your freedom become a stumbling block to those who are weak' (1 Corinthians 8:9)

'…………where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom' (2 Corinthians 3:17)

'As free and not using your freedom as an excuse to harm others' (1 Peter 2:16)

I'm drawing on the wisdom of age today. My Father reminded me today how the love we have for something or someone causes us to act in certain ways. An example is how the love of a man for his wife makes him do the things that pleases her, disciplines him to steer clear of others and gives him freedom with her.

Love, Freedom and discipline.

These three things are connected and often misconstrued.

Love is made to look like it is simply an emotion. It is also made to look like the preceding factor before sex, Love is painted as an action of only kindness. These are only a part of it.

Freedom is regarded as the power to do what we want rather than the power to do what we ought to. Freedom as preached by human rights activist today has become a form of slavery because the very humans become slaves to that which they are fighting for.

Discipline is seen in the light of a stern, frown-faced man who will crucify you for even a smile.

All of these are wrong notions of these three things.

As humans, we need love to treat other men like we ought to, freedom to be able to do the things we ought to and discipline to stay clear of the things we want to do but are not supposed to.

Love, Freedom and Discipline.

The only freedom and discipline that is worth a man’s while is that which is born out of Love.

Love in its purest form, not the love that is preached in the streets. Love that births the smallest acts of Kindness as shown in ‘ordinary people’ by Cobhams, Love that sacrifices, and Love that lifts a person up. A love for God in Christ.

That is the connection. Our love for something ought to make us free and prevent us from doing the things that will harm us or others.

Jesus said the summary of all the law is to Love God and Love your neighbour as yourself and the wisest man, Solomon said, the conclusion of everything is to love God and Keep His commandments.

I have to reiterate the fact that a discipline and freedom that comes out of Love for anything else other than God is Unbalanced and will lead to the harm of some part of us. We are created in the image of God and we are unable to love the way we ought to outside of God, without God what is left is our ability to destroy ourselves because we are unable to live a balanced life. A balanced life is one which prospers the body, soul and spirit of a man not leaving one at the expense of another. When we love like God wants us to, we love like Christ. He is the example of what it means to love.

Love, Discipline and Freedom.

Why is it that in churches today, we say that where the spirit of God is there is freedom and we forget that the Love of God should discipline us to do the things that we ought to which is to live righteous and holy lives.

Or why is it that human rights activist fight for the rights of every man while forgetting that there are certain rights that are not to be fought for?

The Love of God constrains us.

No man is whole without God. It is only in God through Christ that we are able to find the balance of Love, Freedom and Discipline.

In Christ, we find Love for God, we find the freedom to do the things that are good for ourselves and for the people around us and the discipline to steer of the things that we ought not to.

As we prepare for His coming, let’s pray for the grace to Love God and men, the freedom not to be slaves to any of our desires and the discipline to stay clear of the things that will destroy mankind.

The Love of Christ frees us and disciplines us. Love is the beginning and the ending of it all.