Sal’s Blog 6.3
Wednesday Men’s Thought
Love is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible
When I ask myself that question, I think of those little comic strips that say love is…a cup of coffee or a ray of sunshine….
The Bible tells us that love is
Patient and kind and it does not envy…
it isn’t proud and it isn’t rude…
its not self-seeking and not easily angered…
it keeps no record of wrongs…love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth…
It always protects…always trusts…always hopes…always perseveres…
Love never fails…
Now these things describe love…not you and me…not any human…
Now 1 John 4:10 says this is love…
Not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…
Listen to this…since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another…no one has ever seen God, BUT…if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us..
Although love is a fruit of the Spirit it is something that we are responsible to develop…
For this reason, John urges us and pushes us to love others! To be concerned about them and seek their well-being…John is not talking about a feeling or good will, but a decision and a disposition to help people in their needs…
As a believer have your desires changed…
We are to love God sincerely and from our hearts and strive to please God and to avoid evil but this is only accomplished through the grace that God has given us through Jesus and a sustained relationship with Him and through dependence on the Holy Spirit…
John urges us to demonstrate love for a few different reasons…
There are four types of loves in the Bible each one different…
The love we have for a pet and the love we have for a friend can be similar but the love God has for us is different as His love is an unconditional love…
2 Timothy 1 tell us that the Spirit of God gives us love and Proverbs 3 tells us that we should never let love leave us…this is a basic love for people because God loved us…
Love is expressed and shown by sincerely helping people in need. By sharing our earthly possessions with them…when we refuse to give of our food, clothing or money to help others in real need we close our hearts to them…
I am no love expert and would love to hear your thoughts…please comment below
- What is love?
Love is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible
When I ask myself that question, I think of those little comic strips that say love is…a cup of coffee or a ray of sunshine….
- What do you think of love?
- What do you think that love is?
- Is it based on past experience from a relationship or a hurt from childhood?
- What does love look like in your life?
The Bible tells us that love is
Patient and kind and it does not envy…
it isn’t proud and it isn’t rude…
its not self-seeking and not easily angered…
it keeps no record of wrongs…love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth…
It always protects…always trusts…always hopes…always perseveres…
Love never fails…
Now these things describe love…not you and me…not any human…
Now 1 John 4:10 says this is love…
Not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…
Listen to this…since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another…no one has ever seen God, BUT…if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us..
- How is Gods love is made complete?
- Is it anything we do?
Although love is a fruit of the Spirit it is something that we are responsible to develop…
- How can you develop love in your life?
For this reason, John urges us and pushes us to love others! To be concerned about them and seek their well-being…John is not talking about a feeling or good will, but a decision and a disposition to help people in their needs…
As a believer have your desires changed…
We are to love God sincerely and from our hearts and strive to please God and to avoid evil but this is only accomplished through the grace that God has given us through Jesus and a sustained relationship with Him and through dependence on the Holy Spirit…
John urges us to demonstrate love for a few different reasons…
- Love is the very nature of God
- God loved us…so we, who have experienced His love and forgiveness are obligated to help others even if it costs us lots
- If we love one another, God continues to live in US…and THEN His love is made complete in US
- Is love a choice?
- Is it a feeling?
- Can it be both?
There are four types of loves in the Bible each one different…
- Affection
- Friendship
- Eros
- Charity
The love we have for a pet and the love we have for a friend can be similar but the love God has for us is different as His love is an unconditional love…
- Have you ever loved anyone unconditionally?
- Has it hurt you? How has it changed you?
- Have you ever experienced the other types of love?
- What is it like to be in love as opposed to loving someone but not in love?
- Is that real love? Why?
2 Timothy 1 tell us that the Spirit of God gives us love and Proverbs 3 tells us that we should never let love leave us…this is a basic love for people because God loved us…
- How do we express that kind of love?
Love is expressed and shown by sincerely helping people in need. By sharing our earthly possessions with them…when we refuse to give of our food, clothing or money to help others in real need we close our hearts to them…
I am no love expert and would love to hear your thoughts…please comment below
Posted in Men