Post from the past 2-14-2015

God is defined as love; He isn’t just a loving God; HE is LOVE.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

Today being “Valentine’s Day,” I imagine “love” has been on the minds of many people. Does that mean that God has been on their minds? I would hope, but probably not so.

Today, we have many meanings for ‘love.’ I love my flowers. I love to have my quiet time. I love my husband. Each of these definitions of love is different, as we all know. I don’t love my husband as I would love my flower garden.

Though I am no bible scholar, I would think God has one definition for love: agape. Searching online to understand this phrase this what I have found; Agape love is non-partial, sacrificial. Agape love is entirely about the lover (God) and has nothing to do with the one loved (you and me).

John 3:16  For God so loved (agape) the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Understanding His love toward me helps me love others. Now I am not saying that I have ‘agape love’ at all times as God does. But, to be completely truthful with you, my love can be conditional; how I ‘feel’ determines how loving I can be. Not that this is right. But it doesn’t happen as often as it did before I understood HIS love for me, but it still happens periodically.

However, when I think of love, true and pure, I cannot help to think about how God loves me. It is sometimes difficult to get my head and heart around this, but when I accept His love relationship, it is a beautiful, freeing feeling. But, of course, then it makes it easier for me to love others.

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

It is easy to love another person who operates in this type of ‘agape love,’ but it isn’t easy to love someone who has not experienced this kind of love. When a person does not understand unconditional love, it would be ridiculous to expect them to know how to extend it to others. 

So how do we love these people that have not experienced agape love? We are the experience. As this day is quickly approaching an end, I would like to encourage you to look for the expression of love from others (the way they know how to show it, or maybe not knowing how to show it) every day, not just today “Valentine’s Day.”

Know that God always wants to lavish love on us; he is never tired of our relationship with Him. Want to learn how to love? Learn of God’s love. Happy Valentine’s Day

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 1 Corinthians13:4-8 (ESV)

Note: Picture is a heart created in a stone from a slow water drip. That reminds me of scripture found in Ezekiel 36:26

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.