L O V E

God breathed life into us. He created us in his own likeness. He gave us Free-Will and saved us from sin through the sacrifice of His Son. He loves us when we conform to his will and his way, and when we stray. He loves us!

How then can we hold back love from others? Love is not a commodity to be traded for goods, services, and kindness. Love is a gift to be given freely with no expectation of return.

The Christian definitions of LOVE confirm that it is a gift from God, and in turn should be a gift from us to others. It is not a practice or a choice, it is a commandment. Love seeks the welfare of all, those you are in agreement with, those you oppose, those who mean you harm, those who ‘have your back’, those in the group of mankind that you have no relationship or knowledge of. Love is a blanket that warms the earth and changes the outcome of hate that infects the world and causes chaos and derision brought on my Satan. Love is the remedy to many ills, beginning with you. It frees you from hate, intolerance, anxiety, and strife. It removes the boundaries or restrictions that once held you hostage. Love is enlivened through obedience. And, through our obedience, Love strengthens our relationship with the Lord.

Love is an intentional act. When we feel oppressed, angered, or mistreated, we should purposely replace those feelings with love. Why? Love is not a feeling but an action. It is the power God gave us when he sacrificed His son. Love is the way we move from feelings to obedience, to dependence, to freedom, and our relationship with our Father, our Lord, and Savior.

Clarifying Bible Definitions of Love

Love is a deep enduring concern for others’ welfare; affection, friendship (Gen. 37:3; Matt. 5:46). An essential characteristic of God that comes only as a gift (John 3:16).

Christian love has God for its primary object and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His commandments, (John 14:15, 21, 23; 15-10; John 2:5; 5:3; 2 John 6.)

Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse or a feeling, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered. Love seeks the welfare of all, Rom. 15:2, and works no ill on any, 13:8-10; love seeks the opportunity to do good to ‘all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith,’ Gal. 6:10.

Images – LAB Photos; Google Images; Bible.com

Scripture – Bible.com; Crosswalk.com

Resources – The Student Bible Dictionary. Karen Dockrey, et al. 2000. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary. W.E. Vine. 1996

Visit my Young Christian Warriors site. The earliest Posts were written to help parents guide and train their children to access the Word of God to direct their steps. Later Posts were written for everyone, though I believe the Posts to parents can serve as reminders for all ages.

~God’s Divine Influence
~God’s Unequivocal Love
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