Love

-What Is Love?
--Love is the epitome of who God is.  Love is the means by which fear is cast out.  Love covers a multitude of faults.  Love will put others needs before its own.  Love does not get jealous. Love is patient.  Love sorrows over sin.
     Love is a choice, not a feeling.  If love is a feeling then it is not true love, but rather some kind of selfish love that will dissipate when you feel defrauded against.  The kind of love that God  has toward us is “AGAPE”.  This is the purest form of love and is offered without first being loved or having the promise of being loved back.  This is what would cause a man or woman to die for the sake of someone else who had mistreated them so they could find God.  When Jesus Christ came to earth this is exactly what He did for us and as His disciples, he has imparted this love to us so we can pass it on.  This is not the only way that agape love is shown, but is the fullest way.

The Love Of God

7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Romans 1:7 (KJV)

11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 

2 Cor 13:11 (KJV)

37 And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt; 

Deut 4:37 (KJV)

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 

1 John 4:7-11 (KJV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

Gal 5:22-25 (KJV)

16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 

1 John 3:16-17 (KJV)

    There is no boundaries on the love of God

-Love for Lost Man

17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. 

Isaiah 38:17 (KJV)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

John 3:16 (KJV)

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

Romans 5:8 (KJV)

     It is very clear that God loves us individually.  If we can not grasp this, there is no hope for us, because in this and this alone do we have hope for the hereafter.  God is Love, and for this reason, He gave man the ability to choose to fall vs. to serve Him as a robot.  God knew that if man would indeed fall, then He could then show mankind the actual depth of His love.  There really was no other way to show the extreme love that He had to give.  God has a host of angels that serve Him without choice and they will never personally know the depth of His love.  As close as they can get to it is seeing His immense love being poured out on a fallen mankind.

    The Love of God is unmatched by any other love.  He loves you as a Father, Mother, Brother, and Sister.  He cares very deeply for each one of us.

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? 

Luke 11:9-13 (KJV)

     God wants the very best for each one of us and will not give us anything less than the best.  This being said, we may not, at the time recognize God’s gifts to us as being the best; but they mold us, and shape us to being all He wants us to be.