Love: July 19, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY JULY 19, 2013

LOVE

DEFINITION:

Powerful attraction to another; a warm concern.

SCRIPTURE:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. I John 4:7.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

It was 56 years ago today that we were married in a church in St. Louis Missouri with no air condition and the temperature at about 100 degrees. This was a day that we will never forget not only because it was our wedding day but the theme of our wedding ceremony was love and we have never forgotten that love is the key to our relationship. When we chose TODAY’S WORD for today the word love was the first that came to mind. The scripture has much to say about love and we want to share with you today a few thoughts about love.

There is no way to get around it, almost all we do as believers in Jesus needs to be done in love and as a result of God’s great love for us. Think about it. We are not to make merciless judgments but we are to love one another. Do not just say that we have faith in God but show it by your good works in love for one another.

The test of love is so important that Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 34-35).

But we have learned over the years that sometimes this can be very hard. Satan certainly sees to that. How many times has Satan taken your weakness and pitted you against someone else? Friction, hurt feelings and discouragement sets in and you just want to give up when you realize what has happened. Of course, we are not perfect but we have learned over the years that God is perfect and will lead us through these valleys of temptations and failures as long as we put our complete trust in Him. His love can perfect our love. What a promise. What a command and what an opportunity we have when we look at love in this manner.

Over the years we raised six children. We cannot count how many times one of them said to us, I love you mommy or I love you daddy. When we heard those words, warmth went through our whole body. It took away any tension we may have been facing and melted away our frustrations. The result, without exception, was an overwhelming desire to love in return.

This is the power of God’s love to us. He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. His love is so powerful that it breaks all walls of hostility. His love frees us from the chains of sin and the clutches of death. His love fills us so full that there is no room for hate or self-pity.

The love of Christ has been so powerful in our lives that it is like “glue” with the power and capacity to hold life together for us in perfect harmony and usefulness. On this our anniversary we pray that you have experienced personally the love of Christ and that you will lean on His love to guide you and strengthen you as you face the trials and temptations of life.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Luke 9:23.

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

PRAYER:

Our prayer today is that the love that You have given us and the love we have had for one another might be a reality to all who read these words. Help us to share with all those we meet today Your love for them and what You have done for them because you love them.