Love is…a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.
C.S. Lewis
How do you define love?
How do you describe it?
It is both! We often DO something because of what we FEEL.
The feeling may not be that “warm, fuzzy” feeling that we associate with love. The feeling may be compassion or guilt or duty.
True love - love that lasts - starts with loving God. The more I love Him, the more I come to know Him. The more deeply I know Him, I become overwhelmed with His love for me and others.
I have His heart and mind for other people. I have the compassion that He has. I have the patience that He has. I have the understanding that He has.
When I truly love, I love in the same way God loves.
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34
I am to love others - regardless of what they do or don’t do.
It doesn’t mean that I agree with their behavior, condone, or support it.
But it does mean that I strive to put what is best for that person ahead of what I want for myself. God wants the very best for people. Because I love God, I want the best for them too!
Where did LOVE begin ……
LOVE’s origin is the heart of God.
We love because He first loved us.
1 John 4:19
The essence of God’s character is HOLY. He shows me His holiness through His LOVE.
LOVE is the big word that encompasses all that God does and feels towards me.
His LOVE includes His forgiveness, compassion, mercy, acceptance, protection, kindness, and much more. Because of His LOVE, He delights in me.
His LOVE for me depends on His character - not on my actions. He LOVES me because of who He is - not because of who I am. His LOVE is limitless and unrestricted.
I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:8
Labor of Love ….
We fall in love by chance,
How do you define love?
How do you describe it?
Is it what you do or what you feel?
It is both! We often DO something because of what we FEEL.
The feeling may not be that “warm, fuzzy” feeling that we associate with love. The feeling may be compassion or guilt or duty.
True love - love that lasts - starts with loving God. The more I love Him, the more I come to know Him. The more deeply I know Him, I become overwhelmed with His love for me and others.
I have His heart and mind for other people. I have the compassion that He has. I have the patience that He has. I have the understanding that He has.
When I truly love, I love in the same way God loves.
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34
I am to love others - regardless of what they do or don’t do.
It doesn’t mean that I agree with their behavior, condone, or support it.
But it does mean that I strive to put what is best for that person ahead of what I want for myself. God wants the very best for people. Because I love God, I want the best for them too!
Where did LOVE begin ……
LOVE’s origin is the heart of God.
We love because He first loved us.
1 John 4:19
The essence of God’s character is HOLY. He shows me His holiness through His LOVE.
LOVE is the big word that encompasses all that God does and feels towards me.
His LOVE includes His forgiveness, compassion, mercy, acceptance, protection, kindness, and much more. Because of His LOVE, He delights in me.
His LOVE for me depends on His character - not on my actions. He LOVES me because of who He is - not because of who I am. His LOVE is limitless and unrestricted.
I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:8
Labor of Love ….
We fall in love by chance,
we stay in love by choice.
Love is work.
Love is hard.
Love is demanding.
Love is satisfying.
Love is easy.
Love is rewarding.
When I got married, I committed to love my spouse and stay together - FOREVER.
I did not know the magnitude of that vow. I knew that to love unconditionally, that I needed to learn to love no matter how I felt.
I knew that I wanted to be loved - no matter what happened.
How do I show that kind of love?
Love has to be a choice I make every day. Love is an action that makes that choice visible.
As stated above, about God, love is the big word that includes so much.
If I love unconditionally and with no limit, I will ….
Love isn’t based on a feeling; it is based on a commitment, a choice. But the feeling of loving and being loved unconditionally cannot be surpassed.
That kind of love doesn’t come from what I get from another person but from what I give! [see more below]
The Overflow ….
When I receive, believe, and experience the love of God, I am full. Then I can overflow to others when I have received from Him.
When I learn to love as God loves, an indescribable joy settles in my heart and soul.
Love is a fruit of the Spirit.
Love is not the fruit of my self-effort.
I cannot just try harder to love. I love because He loves me.
If I want to do better at loving others, I can study God’s love for me until I am convinced of His love and understand how it looks. When I renew my mind with His love, it becomes part of my thinking in all of life.
A great place to start is to read the Psalms and mark every time the word “love” appears.
Psalm 13:5
But I trust in your unfailing love.
Psalm 17:7
Show me the wonders of your great love.
Psalm 23:6
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.
Psalm 57:10
For great is your love.
Love is work.
Love is hard.
Love is demanding.
Love is satisfying.
Love is easy.
Love is rewarding.
When I got married, I committed to love my spouse and stay together - FOREVER.
I did not know the magnitude of that vow. I knew that to love unconditionally, that I needed to learn to love no matter how I felt.
I knew that I wanted to be loved - no matter what happened.
How do I show that kind of love?
Love has to be a choice I make every day. Love is an action that makes that choice visible.
As stated above, about God, love is the big word that includes so much.
If I love unconditionally and with no limit, I will ….
- forgive the hurts, not seek to pay it back
- accept the person, not try to change him
- have compassion, try to see life from his viewpoint
- be kind, regardless of the other person’s demeanor
- be patient, we are both imperfect
- rejoice in the victories and grieve in the losses
- seek the very best for that person
- NOT GIVE UP!
Love isn’t based on a feeling; it is based on a commitment, a choice. But the feeling of loving and being loved unconditionally cannot be surpassed.
That kind of love doesn’t come from what I get from another person but from what I give! [see more below]
The Overflow ….
When I receive, believe, and experience the love of God, I am full. Then I can overflow to others when I have received from Him.
When I learn to love as God loves, an indescribable joy settles in my heart and soul.
Love is a fruit of the Spirit.
Love is not the fruit of my self-effort.
I cannot just try harder to love. I love because He loves me.
If I want to do better at loving others, I can study God’s love for me until I am convinced of His love and understand how it looks. When I renew my mind with His love, it becomes part of my thinking in all of life.
A great place to start is to read the Psalms and mark every time the word “love” appears.
Psalm 13:5
But I trust in your unfailing love.
Psalm 17:7
Show me the wonders of your great love.
Psalm 23:6
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.
Psalm 57:10
For great is your love.
