Love is a battlefield

[Dave-W]

Actually, the New Testament predates you. The second greatest command is ...

"Love your neighbor ... as you love yourself."

Which is actually from the OT:

Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

 

[A_Thinker]

How much do you love yourself?
M-Bob

Enough ...

 

[A_Thinker]

Which is actually from the OT:

Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

True ...

The OP mentioned the New Testament, ... but the presence of this command in both Bible testaments ... only fortifies my response.

 

[Mountainmanbob]

Enough ...

Might be too much?
M-Bob

 

[Fear2Believe]

Actually, the New Testament predates you. The second greatest command is ...

"Love your neighbor ... as you love yourself."

Know your neighbour, as you know yourself.
For how can you love someone you know nothing about?

 

[Mountainmanbob]

how can you love someone you know nothing about?

Actually, that is pretty easy.
Stick around and more will be revealed.
M-Bob

 

[BNR32FAN]

I have a question.

Is your relationship with your God centred on loving other people? Or needing to be loved by God himself? What does this love actually look like when you have no solid information to offer people other than personal experience, emotional association's, pattern synchronisation (Possible auditory stimuli, but not sure on that one) All completely internalized, and individually indentified as evidence of God's love for you. But what is love if you can't demonstrate it as a universal theory, and it's the kind of love that's always a little different from the believer to your right.

You get what I mean, right?

Of course everyone knows that Pat Benatar told everyone back in September of 1983.

 

[mama2one]

love is patient, love is kind

we interact with people everyday & one doesn't need to know them to be kind

i.e. give money to person in front of you who's short on change, letting someone get in line in front of you, giving money to the homeless person on the corner, offering your seat to someone, letting someone out in traffic

little acts of kindness might not seem much but they do matter to the person


all of us need patience and kindness
give it out and it comes around back to you

 

[A_Thinker]

Know your neighbour, as you know yourself.
For how can you love someone you know nothing about?

i.e. give money to person in front of you who's short on change, letting someone get in line in front of you, giving money to the homeless person on the corner, offering your seat to someone, letting someone out in traffic ...

All great examples ...

 

[bèlla]

Know your neighbour, as you know yourself.
For how can you love someone you know nothing about?

You raise a great point and I agree. I have genuine concern. Meaning, I want God’s best and hope you’re well. But when I love you I’m committed, in the trenches, and sacrificial. And that isn’t something I can conjure for a stranger.

I can perform kind deeds. Acts you may consider loving. But that isn’t the same as loving someone. Not in my mind.

 

[mama2one]

says it in the Bible "love is patient, love is kind"

 

[A_Thinker]

Know your neighbour, as you know yourself.

For how can you love someone you know nothing about?

Luke 10

25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

 

[GOD Shines Forth!]

All completely internalized, and individually indentified as evidence of God's love for you.

No. Faith lays hold of God's sure Word (apart from internal/subjective "evidence"):

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."--Romans 5:8

God's demonstrated love in Christ is to be believed. After that, one finds out how little love they have and how much God has ("unsearchable riches of Christ"!).

 

[A_Thinker]

Know your neighbour, as you know yourself.
For how can you love someone you know nothing about?

Matthew 5

43 “You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you 45 so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous.

46 If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?

48 Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete.

 

[mama2one]

recently on "what would you do" a woman with two young kids (actors) were at a restaurant for child's b'day but she couldn't afford a meal for all of them nor pay for a b'day cake

numerous people offered to pay for their meals, one telling them to order whatever they wanted, and another giving her a $100 bill

there are still good people out there willing to help a stranger in need and that is love & kindness

 

[Fear2Believe]

i.e. give money to person in front of you who's short on change, letting someone get in line in front of you, giving money to the homeless person on the corner, offering your seat to someone, letting someone out in traffic ...

All great examples ...

And you need Jesus to help you do that?

 

[mama2one]

And you need Jesus to help you do that?

there are many nonChristians who wouldn't lift a finger to help someone in need and "pretend" they don't see someone in need

so yes a Christian has a different attitude and looks to help others and isn't solely focused on themselves all day/everyday

when you're out and about, do you look at the people around you?
look to see if someone is in need? a Christian knows that "we" are the hands, "we" are the feet

 

[Fear2Believe]

You raise a great point and I agree. I have genuine concern. Meaning, I want God’s best and hope you’re well. But when I love you I’m committed, in the trenches, and sacrificial. And that isn’t something I can conjure for a stranger.

I can perform kind deeds. Acts you may consider loving. But that isn’t the same as loving someone. Not in my mind.

I possess one backpack, one phone and enough clothes for two week's. I only have one pair of shoes, one jumper, and all the essential toiletries. I have been living like that for about 3 years, because I expect that when this societies beliefs become critical then the bomb's will drop globally. I've only got till 2020 to get out of all major cities in Australia, not much time left from that date.

 

[bèlla]

I've only got till 2020 to get out of all major cities in Australia, not much time left from that date.

Do you plan to remain there or move from place to place instead?

 

[A_Thinker]

And you need Jesus to help you do that?

I need Jesus to help me do it consistently.

Our loving tends to grow tired ...

Galatians 6

9 Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those of the family of faith.