Apostle Paul gives a mandate to the people in book of Ephesians 5 as he addresses them. He goes on to encourage and say that they should make sure their life is not controlled by the goals, ambitions, desires, ministry, etc, instead it should be controlled by love.

Jesus wants our life to be controlled and chained by love in everything we do and say. The opposite of love is not necessarily hate. The opposite of love is selfishness. When we do something, we look for how it would benefit us.

You need to ask yourself this question, “How can I love better?”, how can I love better, if I pickup this job/company? , how can I love better if I focus in the ministry ?

Here’s the reason Paul gives this command to be controlled by love. The verse Ephesians 5:2 (just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us) explains Jesus did not simply love us and give gifts or blessings to us. The verse says He gave His ‘life’ for us. That is the true definition of love. If you love the people God has placed your life, you should be willing to give your life for them.

Further the verse (as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.”) explains that Jesus’ love was a sweet-smelling offering, an incense and a sacrifice that pleased God.

I want to remind you, as you let your life be controlled by love, your life will become a life that is a sweet smelling offering and sacrifice that will please God. If there is no love in your ministry, house, work, in everything you do then, your life would be a stinking sacrifice to God.

However, if there is true, genuine, deep, sacrificial kind of love in your offering, ministry, conversations then your life will be a sweet smelling sacrifice to God.

Prayer for encouragement: Father, I pray and ask you to give us the grace to live our lives controlled by Agape love, not by human conditional, selfish kind of love but by Agape love. Let our intentions be of love, let our motivations be because of love, let our agendas be to be loved, to love people. Lord, let our dreams and ambitions be controlled by love for you and for the people you have placed around. Help us to get rid of all selfishness, self-oriented living. Help us to die to ourselves, lay down ourself so that we can live towards our purposes, so that we can be a sweet smelling offering and sacrifice that would please You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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