Love. Did you know that in the Bible the Greek language has four words to describe love? Storge- familial love, Eros- romantic love, Philia- friendship and brotherly love and Agape- God's love for mankind...
Love is the foundation of Christianity:
-God is Love. 1 John 4:8
-For God so loved the World... John 3:16
-Your love for one another will prove to the world you are my disciples. John 13:35
-Without love we are only a resounding gong, we are nothing and we gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
-The greatest commandment is to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:28-31
If we take the attributes of love in 1 Corinthians 13 and list them as the person of Jesus it perfectly describes Him:
Jesus is patient.
Jesus is kind.
Jesus does not envy.
Jesus does not boast.
Jesus is not proud.
Jesus does not behave rudely.
Jesus is not self-seeking.
Jesus is not easily angered.
Jesus keeps no record of wrongs.
Jesus does not delight in evil, but He rejoices with the truth.
Jesus always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.
Jesus never fails.
Stop and meditate on that list. If you call yourself a Christian, that means you have made a decision to die to yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus. That means your goal in life is to give more of yourself to Him, so He can make you more like Him. That means your life looks more like this list as you grow and mature as a disciple of Jesus.
Without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we cannot love like Jesus (Zechariah 4:6, Mark 10:27). Without walking in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we cannot love like Jesus (Romans 8:14). Without spending time with the Lord, we cannot love like Jesus (Matthew 26:41, Romans 12:1-2). Without reading our Bibles, we cannot love like Jesus (Matthew 4:4) . Without dying to ourselves, we cannot love like Jesus (Mark 8:34).
If we fight the good fight, if we endure, then we have a promise that "He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it." (Phil. 1:6) It is reassuring that the Lord will do His work in us, to make us more like Jesus.
My prayer for you:
Lord, to love you and love people like you taught us is more than we are capable of apart from you. Thank you for the gift of the person of the Holy Spirit. We ask you to fill us with the Holy Spirit and give us ears to hear His leading, and eyes to see. Lord we ask that you would teach us to love you and love others the way Jesus taught us, the way you command us to love. We know that the lost and dying world can only be saved by the love of Jesus. Please teach us how to die to ourselves so you can live through us and we can show the world the life-changing love of Jesus. Please show us how we can love others more so that you are glorified. Thank you for Agape, your perfect love.
Until next time,
Tiana