April 25, 2010

Love: April 20, 2010

April 20. TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY APRIL 20, 2010

LOVE

DEFINITION:

A tender, passionate affection for another person; affectionate concern for the well being of others.

SCRIPTURE:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. I Corinthians 13:4-9.

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22: 37-39.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In the book of Ruth in the Old Testament we read of one of the greatest love stories in the Bible. After the death of her husband and two sons, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem to her own country and kindred. Along the way Naomi thought it would be better for her two daughter-in-laws to go back to their home in Moab. Naomi was widowed and without money and family. She was not only in dire circumstances but in a state of emotional despair. Orpah agreed to go back, so Naomi urged Ruth to go back with her. Ruth responded in her own beautiful words: “For wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God.”

Ruth’s willingness to stay by her mother-in-laws side to face a future of great uncertainty and a life of poverty reveals the depth of her love and loyalty to Naomi. Yes, Ruth had great love for Naomi; however there is no greater love than God’s love for us.

Centuries ago, God sent the world a LOVE LETTER! This love letter is the Bible. God showed love to us by sending His Son to this earth to pay the debt of our sins. Humanly speaking there is no way we can completely comprehend the depth of God’s love. John describes God’s love with these words in I John 4:10-11: “This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” God showed us His love by giving us His Son and we show we love Him by keeping His commandments that He has given us on love. Today our lives need to be filled with the love that God has given us.

The love of Christ is unlimited and life-changing. When your life is filled with God’s love you cannot hate. When you love God you cannot get angry. When you love your neighbor as yourself you are honoring God’s commandment that He has given us in His word.

In I Corinthians 13: 4-9 (we have written above under scripture) Paul tells us what true Christian love is. The love of God to us never does fail. It is we that fail, not the love of God. God loves us and there are many verses in the Bible telling us how we can show how much we love the Lord. One of these verses is found in I John 2:5 where it reads that “whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.”

From the moment each of our six children was born, we were committed to teach them to first LOVE GOD and then their family and neighbors. Love is a basic need in our lives and love is what God wants from us. We endeavored each and every day to be consistent with them showing our love through our words and actions. God honored this commitment by blessing us with children that responded favorably and we are blessed to see them establishing their own families by abiding in God’s love and living by His word. Parents must set the example for their children.

We are called to love in deed and in truth. This means that we are to have compassion, LOVE, for those around us in need. This does not mean only expressing concern in words but if we want to express true love as God has commanded us than we need to also demonstrate this by our actions.

If you want to grow in love than take time to think about how Jesus gave His life for you and the love that that took. Ask God then to give you an understanding of His love and to teach you how to live that out in your relationships with your spouse, children, family and friends. As Christ’s love grows in you, His love will flow from you.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:30.

He who wins souls is wise.

PRAYER:

Thank You for the love You have for me and my family. Your love began with Your creation and then sending Your Son to pay the penalty for my sins. Give me and my family a new burden for showing our love to You and then to all those that we associate with each day of our lives.

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