March 31, 2017 THE LOVE OF GOD
1 John 4:7-10: “Beloved, let us love another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
How the world defines love and how the scriptures define love are totally different. The word ‘love’ is used very broadly and is often overused. There are three different words for love with different meanings. One is eros love, which has the idea of desire and longing. Another word for love is philos love, which is the kind of love one has for a friend or companion. The third word for love is agape, representing the divine love of God. It is this agape love that believers or called to have for everyone, whether they are believers or not. The love of God is totally unselfish and is a love that gives. The one who does not know the love of God may say that they love someone, but the love they have for that someone is based on how that person makes them feel, etc. God demonstrated divine love by sending His Son to die for us, that we might have life (Romans 5:8). The great transformation that has taken place in those who have come to know God is that He has put His agape love in their hearts. This great truth is found in Romans 5:5: “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through His Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Because God has put His divine love within our hearts, we can now love as God loves; our love for others is to originate from the love of God that has been given to us. The root causes of conflicts in the world, as well as the conflicts in relationships, can be traced to a void of God’s love. When we know and experience God’s love, we will in fact be demonstrations of His love. God’s love in us gives us a peace that the world does not know, and His love compels us to express this love to others in tangible ways. It is awesome to realize that the God who created the universe, the God who IS love, chooses to pour out His love into those human beings who place their faith and hope in Him. After all said and done, it is only by and through His love that we are transformed. If you do not know God’s love in a personal way, read the scriptures that point to His love for you, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of those scriptures in your Spirit-believe what God has said.
I Corinthians 13:13: “But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:3: “And if I give all my possessions to feed the pure, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do have love, it profits me nothing.”
1 John 4:16: “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
Blessings,
Buddy
RSS Feed