Message of the Latter Rain - Kelvin M. Duncan

of every mind; He sees beneath the surface of things, discerning the thoughts
and intents of the heart. There is not a deed of darkness, not a plan, not an
imagination of the heart, not a thought of the mind, but that He reads it as an
open book. Every act, every word, every motive, is faithfully chronicled in
the records of the great Heart-searcher, who said, "I know thy works."[2]
Here, we are informed that more than our "works" are "chronicled in the
records." Commonly understood is that everything that we "do" is written in
the books of heaven. But there is something more important than what we
do. The greater concern is why we do what we do. The books of heaven
record "every motive." Why is that the case? "Every action of their lives is
judged, not by the external appearance, but from the motive which dictated
the action."[3]
Could this be why the apostle Paul wrote, "Love [agape] is the fulfilling
of the law" (Romans 13:10)? Righteousness is more than "doing the right
thing"--it is doing the right thing for the right reason, and the right reason is
that "the love [agape] of Christ compels us" (2 Corinthians 5:14, NKJV). In
other words, unless there is agape in the heart, there is no righteousness in
the life. "The sinner loves Christ, because Christ has first loved him, and
love is the fulfilling of the law."[4]
We need righteousness in order to enter heaven, and this can only be
received when "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Ghost" (Romans 5:5). Righteousness is agape. The agape of God is "shed
abroad in our hearts;" when we "appreciate" (i.e., have genuine faith in) the
love of God which was demonstrated at the cross in the forgiveness of our
sins. When we believe that He loves us and that He has forgiven us at the
cross, this understanding produces love in our hearts and makes the
manifestation of authentic righteousness possible.
The world's Redeemer was treated as we deserve to be treated, in order
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