“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Rom. 5:5).
One way for us to stay healthy is to walk in love.
Under the Old Covenant, God told His people that if they served Him, He would take sickness away from the midst of them (Ex. 23:25). Then He gave His people a list of commandments and ordinances to obey, knowing that the Israelites had no power to fulfill them.
In essence, He was saying to them, “Here are all these rules and regulations to follow in order to live holy before Me. However, there’s no way you can keep them. So when you break My laws, the blood of an animal sacrifice will cover your sins and iniquities. It will push your sins ahead for a year so you can receive My blessings.”
God gave His laws and commandments to His people to prove to them that they needed a Savior. Galatians 3:24 says the law served as a schoolmaster to bring God’s people to Jesus. God’s people couldn’t be perfected through the Law. They needed a Redeemer.
What about us? Are we in better shape today? Are we able to obey Jesus’ commandment to “love one another” (John 13:34) any better than the Old Testament saints were able to keep the Law?
Under the Old Covenant, God’s people possessed the Law but had no power to keep it. Under the New Covenant, when we’re born again, the Holy Spirit indwells us and imparts the love of God into our spirits. We then have the power to keep the law of love. And as long as we walk in love, we have the power to fulfill the other commandments as well.
So, actually, our job on this earth is to walk in love. As long as we walk in love, we’re keeping God’s commandments. And as long as we keep His commandments, our God, Jehovah Rapha, will take sickness from the midst of us!
God’s love is shed abroad in my heart.
God, my healer, heals me and keeps me in divine health
as I follow the ways of His Word and His Spirit.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
For over 40 years, Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee have traveled throughout the world sharing the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Together they've shared the powerful truths of faith and healing in more than 50 nations.
Today Mark and Janet pastor World Outreach Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they base their ongoing outreach to the world. The Brazees still travel as the Lord leads, and they are raising up a congregation who share their passion to reach Tulsa and the world.