In today's atmosphere there are so many false faces, we see them in actors, politicians and even sometimes in our church family. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 12:9 " Let love be without dissimulation." What does dissimulation mean? Without insincerity or hypocrisy. When I got married, I promised to love my wife and to honor her by being true to her, I still stand by these vows today, 39 years later. When I gave my heart to Jesus I promised to love him without reservation, and still stand by this vow, but what if we promised to love and somewhere down the road, we failed to live up to our end of the bargain? What if we said we loved Christ and the church body on one side of our face and then on the other we talk about one another, we spread gossip about one another, we live our life outside the church without reservation, we seek out self righteousness instead of true Righteousness?
Wow, those are some powerful questions, but yet, they are a necessary path of reasoning, because without true love we cannot be true followers of Christ. Jesus once gave us a New Commandment, that we love one another as He has loved us. It takes commitment, and true sacrifice, how can one love from the heart, if it is tainted with dissimulation? If we are to survive as a church or as an individual believer, then we must put aside all malice, we must direct our thoughts carefully, our actions must be reflective upon the works of Jesus, after all, Jesus reminds us" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart and ALL thy soul and with ALL thy mind." and then very appropriately follows up with this..." Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself"
With all thy heart.......without any hypocrisy....sounds like a tall order....but, take a look at this...." FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE."
With man these things are impossible but with Christ all things are possible...through Christ we love one another, through Christ we find the strength to love without hypocrisy or malice, through Christ we find the strength to forgive, and to reflect on our love for one another, and through Christ we shall succeed in loving as He loved us.
