Love 4

Hello Everyone,

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails.

Love never fails
Paul closes his definition of love with a bold statement that love never fails. In other words, the love of Christ is always successful.

The power of our lives is found in the reality that Christ’s love gives us the ability to succeed.

In essence, love describes the very character of Jesus Himself and if we want to become more like Him we must allow His love to penetrate the deepest corners of our hearts.

We must be willing and open for the overflow to come and fill us with Christ’s love.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-38

Notice all of those things that do not have the ability to keep the love of Christ from our lives.

• The love of Christ is more powerful than life itself; death cannot even keep it from us.
• The love of Christ is more powerful than spiritual beings; even the most diabolic plot from Hell cannot keep it from us.
• The love of Christ is more powerful than time itself, even when time comes to an end the love of Christ will remain
• The love of Christ is more powerful than mortal strength, even the greatest power on earth cannot keep it from us.
• The love of Christ is more powerful than any distance, even the deepest of depths or the highest of heights cannot keep it from us.
• The love of Christ is more powerful than all of creation, absolutely nothing in the entire universe can keep it from us.

You are the only thing standing between the overflow of love that falls from Heaven and your need.

You are the person that keeps you from experiencing the overflow and its awesome power.

You are the only one that can accept the ABUNDANCE of the overflow.

The choice is yours and you can live in the overflow of His Divine love.

Greater Things Are Still To Come!                 

Love 3

Hello Everyone,

The Victory of Love   1 Corinthians 13:4-8

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails.

Paul gives a definition of agape love here that shows that Christ’s love is far more than just talk, it is action.

Love is patient
The word that Paul uses here refers to the way we deal with people.

Paul says that we are to suffer a long time with other people.

No matter what the evil or injury committed against us.

No matter how others have neglected or ignored us.

Love is kind
The word kind means to show favor to others and move beyond hurt and injury.

Paul shows that love is strength of grace that allows us to grant forgiveness.

Love does not envy

This is not having wrong feelings against others because of what they have - spiritual gifts, position, abilities, possessions or anything else.

Love is not begrudging but rather shares in the joys of others.

Love does not boast
Paul says that love does not brag or seek recognition. The behavior of love seeks to give, to recognize others, to honor others and applaud when others succeed.

Love is not proud
The word here for proud means to be puffed up or conceited. The behavior of love does not look at oneself as being better than others. Love is humble and seeks the best.

Love is not rude
Love does not act in a way that is disgraceful or brings shame to the name of Jesus. Love treats people with respect.

Love is not self seeking
The Greek word that Paul uses here literally means to worship oneself. This is the problem in our culture because we have become so full of ourselves.

Love seeks to serve others, not to be served by others.

Love is not easily angered
Paul uses the word that means quick tempered or being ready to take personal offense. Love does not allow the emotions to control and it does not become angry without cause.

Love keeps no record of wrong
This means that we cannot think evil of others and continuously focus on the wrongs that we have suffered because this will lead to resentment and bitterness.

Love endures evil and keeps its focus on the truth.

Are you living in the overflow of Christ’s love?

Love does not delight in evil
Paul says here that love does not take pleasure in doing what is unrighteous.

In other words, if we have the love of Christ within us, the ability to do what is wrong still exists but we choose better.

Love rejoices with the Truth
Love rejoices when the truth is finally discovered and when it is victorious.

This is the reality that we can rejoice in all situations because when the truth of God is within us we ALWAYS HAVE VICTORY.

Love always protects
Paul is saying that love has the power to cover every area of life and to give the strength to support every area of life. Love gives us the supernatural strength to stand and COVER the faults of others.

Love always trusts
The word Paul uses here means to have a perfect trust.

It gives us the ability to see the best in others.

Love always hopes
Paul says that love literally never loses hope and has every expectation of finding victory. Love refuses to accept failure and has bright hope for the best.

Love always perseveres
Paul uses a military word here that means to withstand an attack. This means that the love of Christ is our strength and acts as our fortress during attack.

Love endures every assault that comes against it and stands firm until the victory is won. The love of God gives us the ability to love even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Greater Things Are Still To Come! 

Love 2

Hello Everyone,

The word that Paul uses here is the Greek term agape. Agape is the highest of all Greek words for love.

The reality is that God places His love in our heart through the person of Jesus.

Agape is love in its highest form. It is the Divine Demonstration of love found only in Christ and when that love invades a person’s heart it sweeps all hatred, malice, deception and other destructive behaviors away.

Paul makes it clear, agape is a matter of personal choice not a matter of personal strength or of personal ability.

Our gifts are meaningless without love

The work of the Holy Spirit brings gifts into the lives of those who place their faith in Jesus.

We cannot serve Jesus to the level of His strength without having His love living in us.

Our life is pointless without love

Paul says that without love: I am nothing. Just because you are breathing does not mean that you are really living.

The sad fact is that far too many people settle for merely existing rather than living.

If you do not have the love of Christ living within you, you are just existing and not really living.

Your efforts are fruitless without love

As Believer’s, we are called to bear fruit and show ourselves ready to serve Jesus whenever and wherever He sends us.

The reality is that our efforts will never amount to anything without the POWER of Christ’s love as a driving force in our lives.

Greater Things Are Still To Come!         

Love 1

Hello Everyone,

As Christians we believe that Christ does many different things that bring an “overflow” into our lives.

He displays His power by sending various types of outpourings.
• Christ pours out His power to transform
• Christ pours out His blessings to assist
• Christ pours out His Spirit to sanctify
• Christ pours out His grace to forgive
• Christ pours out His presence to comfort
• Christ pours out His love to encourage

The reality is that the LOVE OF CHRIST is so vast that it has to spill out of heaven.

We have been called to live in the overflow of Christ’s Divine love.

• When we live in the overflow, it changes our lives.
• The overflow changes our behavior.
• The overflow changes who we are and how we treat others.

Love is the key.

Joy is love singing.

Peace is love resting.

Long-suffering is love enduring.

Kindness is love’s touch.

Goodness is love’s character.

Faithfulness is love’s habit.

Gentleness is love’s self forgetfulness.

Self control is love holding the reigns.      Donald Barnhouse

 We see in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 Paul’s great expression of Christ’s love:

The Value of Love   1 Corinthians 13:1-3

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

There is nothing more important in your life than the love of Christ. It is your most valuable possession.

The agape love of Christ is your strength in times of weakness, your hope in times of despair, your glory in times of difficulty, and your best when life throws you the worst.

The love of Christ is your everything.
Greater Things Are Still To Come! 

Love Me, Love Me Not 4

Hello Everyone,

Loving your neighbor requires AFFECTION. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan:

• The Priest looked on the victim with a total lack of concern
• The Levite looked on the victim with curiosity
• The Samaritan looked on the victim with compassion

The difference in the three men is that one had his feelings touched, and he responded to those feelings.

But what if people take advantage of our kindness?

What if they don’t appreciate what we do? It doesn’t matter.

Read the parable again. There is no mention of the victim responding to the kindness of the Samaritan. Why because loving your neighbor isn’t subject to his appreciation.

What we do we do as unto the LORD.

Loving your neighbor requires ACTION

It’s not enough to be concerned. It’s not enough to feel compassion.

You have to get involved.

You have to get a little blood on your hands and dirt on your knees.

You have to invest some of your time and give of your treasures.

You have to do whatever it takes to take care of your neighbor … just as you do whatever it takes to take care of yourself.

Last Thing:

1. You can’t love God until you first accept His love for you.

2. Do you love God with the same whole-hearted love He has shown for you? He died for you…are you living for Him?

3. Are you loving others as you love yourself?

All moral responsibility hinges on the two affections of love for God and love for others.

We may not be able to expect this kind of love from the lost, but it is what they need from us as Christians.

Greater Things Are Still To Come!