OCCUPY TILL I COME: EARTHLY USEFULNESS AND HEAVENLY MINDEDNESS 

OCCUPY TILL I COME: EARTHLY USEFULNESS AND HEAVENLY MINDEDNESS – BY LIVING AND WALKING IN LOVE! 

“If we LIVE in the Spirit, let us also WALK in the Spirit” Galatians 5:25. 

“Be ye therefore FOLLOWERS of God, as dear children; 2 and WALK IN LOVE, as Christ also hath LOVED us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” Ephesians 5:1-2. 

Talking about LOVE! Here is a didactic sense of MEASURE, such that we don’t just say we have love, but we do LIVE and WALK in LOVE, knowing that love is of God; and it’s the lubricant for our life in Christ Jesus and for all mankind. Upon this we can OCCUPY IN CHRIST by ‘Being Earthly Useful while Heavenly Minded’. 

Love is an attitude, a deliberate choice, an exercise of the will, a choice of life and is not just a feeling. It is an expression of the nature of God. It is spiritual, divinely inspired and imbedded in the very hearts of all God’s human creation, and more importantly in the very nature of the redeemed child of God. Hence it’s not a doctrine, creed, or dogmas. It outlives generations because it’s timeless and of God. God is love – 1 John 4:7–10. 

Love is a FRUIT and not a GIFT. FRUITS are GROWN while GIFTS are IMPARTED. Genuine Bible love – Agape – is born and is a product of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9). 

Let’s consider love in diversity for a clearer understanding of the kind of love being implied in this context. 

DEFINING THE THREE KINDS OF LOVE: 

1.  PHILEO: Grk (of the soul) – Love relationship in family – between parent and children The Family kind of love. It also embodies love relationship towards friends and colleagues. It means to be fond of; it is based on FEELINGS and not on PRINCIPLE. It’s never used of man’s love to or for God. This is human or natural kind of love. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Genesis 8:19; Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21). This kind of love is, however, essential and crucial for family bonding and wellbeing.
2. EROS: Grk (of the Physical body) – Sexual love; purely reserved for the married – within the bond of marriage. It’s based on PHYSICAL ATTRACTION. It’s neither for fornication nor adultery. Lust and immoral desires have gotten some into it, hence there’s a great act of PERVERSION in our societies today – and we are paying hugely for the consequences across the board. (Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 7:1-9; 1 Corinthians 6:15-20).
3. AGAPE: Grk (of the spirit) – God kind of love; unconditional, limitless, divine, spiritual. It transcends race, gender, generation, culture, family, physical, personal (self) etc. 1 Corinthians 13. It’s built on PRINCIPLE. Agape love even helps to ensure, STRENGTHEN and MAINTAIN the Phileo and Eros kind of love in all life endeavours. Agape love is based on PRINCIPLE – be it towards things or people. 

Notably, the PHILEO OR EROS kinds of Love need to be controlled by the AGAPE kind of love, or else they will hinder our fellowship with God and lead to SIN acts. (E.g. EROS – 1 Corinthians 13:5; PHILEO – 1 Samuel 2:22-36). 

Let’s not just say we have love, let’s LIVE and WALK IN LOVE, for love is of the Spirit – Romans 5:5. 

IT IS TIME TO LIVE AND WALK IN LOVE. LET US MAKE IT HAPPEN. 

SELAH – PAUSE AND THINK. 

SCRIPTURAL THOUGHTS WORTH PONDERING IN CONTEXT: 

“If we LIVE in the Spirit, let us also WALK in the Spirit” Galatians 5:25. 

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 and WALK IN LOVE, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” Ephesians 5:1-2. 

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being ROOTED and GROUNDED IN LOVE, 18 may be able to COMPREHEND with all saints what is the BREADTH, and LENGTH, and DEPTH, and HEIGHT; 19 and to KNOW THE LOVE OF Christ, which PASSETH (TRANSCENDS, SURPASSED) KNOWLEDGE (SENSE), that ye might be FILLED with all the FULNESS of God” Ephesians 3:17-19. 

SUMMARY: 

The message is a doctrinal charge titled “OCCUPY TILL I COME: EARTHLY USEFULNESS AND HEAVENLY MINDEDNESS — BY LIVING AND WALKING IN LOVE!”. It addresses the TRIUMPHANT CHURCH with a mandate for the waiting period before Christ’s return: believers must remain productive and relevant on earth while maintaining a mind fixed on heaven. The operational principle for fulfilling both mandates is LIVING and WALKING IN LOVE, anchored in Galatians 5:25 and Ephesians 5:1-2. 

Core Thesis: 
Love is presented not as emotion or religious doctrine, but as a MEASURE, ATTITUDE, DELIBERATE CHOICE, and EXERCISE of the WILL. It is the NATURE of God [1 John 4:8], SPIRITUAL and DIVINELY INSPIRED, imbedded in all humanity but fully expressed in the redeemed. Love is classified as a FRUIT of the Holy Spirit [Gal 5:22-23; Rom 5:5] that must be GROWN, not a GIFT that is merely IMPARTED. It functions as the “lubricant” that enables effective life in Christ and service to mankind. 

 Three Kinds of Love: 

1. PHILEO [of the soul] – Natural, affection-based love for family, friends, and colleagues. Based on FEELINGS, not PRINCIPLE. Essential for FAMILY BONDING and WELLBEING, but incapable of reaching God [Deut 6:4-9; Eph 6:4]. 
2. EROS [of the physical body] – Sexual love ordained solely for marriage [Heb 13:4; 1 Cor 7:1-9]. Based on PHYSICAL ATTRACTION. When perverted by lust, it produces fornication, adultery, and societal PERVERSION [1 Cor 6:15-20]. 
3. AGAPE [of the spirit] – The GOD-KIND of love. Unconditional, limitless, principle-based, and transcendent of race, culture, and self [1 Cor 13]. This is the only love that can govern, STRENGTHEN, and MAINTAIN Phileo and Eros within divine order. 

Warning & Application: 
Without AGAPE as governor, PHILEO and EROS become unchecked, hinder FELLOWSHIP with God, and lead to SIN ACTS [1 Sam 2:22-36; 1 Cor 13:5]. Therefore, believers are charged to move beyond confession to practical obedience: “Let us not just say we have love, let us LIVE and WALK IN LOVE” [Rom 5:5]. The concluding imperative is “IT IS TIME TO LIVE AND WALK IN LOVE. LET US MAKE IT HAPPEN. SELAH”, followed by an invitation to be ROOTED and GROUNDED IN LOVE in order to COMPREHEND the fullness of Christ and be FILLED with all the FULNESS of God [Eph 3:17-19]. 

Central Conclusion: 
Earthly usefulness and heavenly mindedness are only possible through AGAPE LOVE — the Spirit-produced, principle-based love that governs all human relationships and aligns the Church with Christ’s mandate to OCCUPY until He comes. 

REV. CHUKIE MORSI