Love

Love is one of the words that we probably all have some variations in our personal definitions.  We know when we feel love and the joy that it brings to our lives.  Lets take a look at some Bible verses on love.

Mark 12:31

The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Luke 6:35

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Romans 13:10

Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Ephesians 4:2

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

 

Alright lets take a look at just the few verses above on love.  We learn very quickly that we are to love others such as our neighbors and even our enemies.  That's not an easy thing to do but God gives us directions in how we are to love others.  In Romans 13:10 it says love does no harm to it's neighbor and in 1 Corinthians(13) basically the chapter what love is and how great love is.  To finish up we are to bear with one another in love.  I read that in my head to say to overlook flaws in love.  My opinion and not a fact.

 

So as you get up today I ask you...are you loving as God has commanded us to love?  Are you struggling to show love to someone who doesn't treat you that well?  Pray to God and ask Him for strength.  Ask God how you can show love to the people in your life that aren't so easy to love.  Because without love we are really missing the point in our faith.

 

 

 

 

 

Joy is Powerful!

In our lives as Christians(believers in God(Father, Son and Holy Spirit) who serve Him) we can get stagnant, bored at times and lifeless in our daily walk.  What can we do to find that joy that now might be alluding us?  What is joy?  Lets take a look at joy!

Joy is defined as a noun as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.  That's a pretty wonderful feeling.  For some of us it might be easy to see it in our childhoods, or in the life of our own child.  They have joy all the time.  Children bounce back quickly from many things that as adults we might tend to dwell on.  Think back when was the last time you felt joy?  

Let's look at some verses for joy in the bible!

Hebrews 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

 

Psalm 30:5

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

 

John 16:22

So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

 

Philemon 1:7

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

 

Isaiah 12:6

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.

 

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Nehemiah 8:10

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁰ Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

 

We see in the verses that joy is often accompanied by peace, encouragement, and in song.  The joy of the Lord is your strength stands out to me the most of these verses.  How do you feel when you are joyful?  You feel strong, confident, at peace, etc.  Joy is a powerful thing it can change a person with a downcast heart into a glowing, smiling, confident person that is contagious to others.  It brings life where ever it goes.  Joy is like a light in a dark place!

When we lack joy often we feel tired, discouraged, distracted and lost.  It's in that place we need God most.  Since He is our provider of joy how can we get it?  Lets find a few ways!

If joy is lacking in my life there are a few things I tend to do to get myself back on track.  Here we go...

1. Sing and listen to praise and worship music. (You can't help but be uplifted as positive, joyful, Godly music pours into your soul.  You have probably heard you are what you eat, well it applies to our media consumption as well.)

2.  Read Psalms in the Bible.  (These chapters and verses are once again praising God and they lift our spirit by reading positive, encouraging and of course the Word of God.)

3.  Let worry go and focus on the things you are thankful for.  (Starting the day thanking God for the many blessings you have like running water, electricity, heat, air conditioning, food, eyes that can see, that you can breathe is a great place to start every day!)

4.  Pray!  (Realize that life is not hopeless!  God is in control and He is listening to you!)

So if you are going through one of those tough seasons in life find your way back to the Word of God, pray, praise, worship, and thank Him!  He is still there no matter what season you are in!

 

 

 

 

 

His Love

Never doubt God's love.  Here are some wonderful scriptures to remind us!

Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God. who loved me and gave himself for me.

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, evenwhen we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—

1 John 4:9-11 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

1 John 4:7-8  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 Peter 5:6-7  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,  casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Job 34:19 who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor,  for they are all the work of his hands?

Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

Proverbs 8:17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

John 13:34-35  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Psalm 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Romans 5:2-5 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Colossians 2:6-7  Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.