Since you
have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere
love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart. 1 Peter 1:22
When we obey the
Word of God it purifies our heart. Peter suggests that by obeying the truth,
which is a choice we make, we take part in purifying our souls. And as we
do this we learn to love others in a way beyond what we could otherwise accomplish.
The obedience to the Word
of God has a purifying power that removes all obstacles that get in the way of
brotherly love. When the Word and the Spirit of God penetrates our being, we “dry
bones” come to life. This happens in any area of your life where there are dry
bones. The power is in the Word itself.
It is a seed, an incorruptible seed that will not return void.
Our obedience is the fruit that shows that our faith
is alive. That doesn’t mean we always obey. But as a Christian, we cannot
habitually live in disobedience to God. We may have an area that will trip us up.
But at some point we will confess, repent and come back to God.
One of the primary goals of our salvation is that we might show sincere love to
fellow believers. This love is to
be "the real thing". We are
not simply to be "playing the part" but we are to show a love which
is completely genuine, without pretense or deceit. When we allow the Holy
Spirit to do His work in our hearts we find we don’t not have to “play the part”
because His love shines through us. It is on our face and in our actions.
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