Understanding Love

[chrislifted]

1Corinthians 13:1-3 NKJV: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. (2) And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Here God shows us that ALL GIFTS, ABILITIES AND RESOURCES (FINANCIAL AND MATERIAL) BECOME OF NO VALUE IF NOT MOTIVATED AND USED IN LOVE!

So it is essential to find out what love really is and how to CONSISTENTLY WALK OR CONDUCT OURSELVES IN LOVE.

Love is discerning by DIVINE wisdom; desiring by DIVINE compassion and doing by DIVINE power what God would do in every situation.

It is GOD WHO DEFINES LOVE AND NOT LOVE THAT DEFINES GOD!

The scripture says GOD IS LOVE AND NOT LOVE IS GOD!

1John 4:8 NKJV: He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1John 4:16 NKJV: And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

So to walk in love, we need IN THIS ORDER (WISDOM IS WHAT DIRECTS COMPASSION WHICH IN TURN DIRECTS POWER):

1. DIVINE WISDOM, which is ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH GOD'S WORD AND THE REVELATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Proverbs 2:6 NKJV: For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Ephesians 1:17 NKJV: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

1John 2:5 NKJV: But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

So WISDOM IS THE PRINCIPAL (OR THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF DIVINE LOVE).

Proverbs 4:7 AMP: The beginning of Wisdom is: get Wisdom (skillful and godly Wisdom)! [For skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal thing.] And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation). [James 1:5.]

Philippians 1:9 AMP: And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment],

2. DIVINE COMPASSION

Divine compassion is NOT HUMAN SYMPATHY: it is being SPIRITUALLY (NOT EMOTIONALLY, THOUGH IT CAN AFFECT YOUR EMOTIONS; IT ORIGINATES FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT NOT YOUR EMOTIONS), touched with the feelings of the infirmities of men, moving you to help them by divine wisdom and power.

Hebrews 4:15 AMP: For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.

Divine compassion is exercised by the fruits of the Spirit of longsuffering, gentleness and kindness:

Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Divine compassion motivates us to exercise longsuffering, gentleness and kindness towards men who are suffering some affliction or problem and so pray for and minister unto them by the wisdom and power of God.

1John 3:17-18 KJV: But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? (18) My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

3. DIVINE POWER

Divine power FOLLOWS divine wisdom and compassion to administer divine love to men in action and deeds.

Acts 1:8 KJV: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

James 5:16 AMP: Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].

So, we see that to walk in DIVINE love (not just human emotion and sympathy), we need the Word of God, the compassion and power of God through effectual fervent prayer; so we NEED the blood (Heb. 13.20-12); the Word (1 Jn.2.5) and power of the Holy Spirit (1 Jn.4.12-13) to PERFECT the love of God in us.

SPCC.org

 

[Restoresmysoul]

Amen, Proverbs.

Proverbs 2:6 NKJV: For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Mathew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.


and

Mathew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

 

[Restoresmysoul]

1 Co 13:5...Love does not seek its own,

1 Corinthians 9:22 to the weak I became as[a] weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

 

[tturt]

v 14 " For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." Eph 3

 

[Galilee63]

Halleluia, for the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory are all Yours Dear God our Heavenly Father now and forever, Amen.

 

[Emmy]

Dear chrislifted. When Jesus told us in Matthew 22: 35-40: Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind also: Love your neighbour as yourself, Jesus meant straightforward Love, as in loving and caring, be kind and compassionate, help where and when possible: generally treat others as you would love to be treated. To love is also a verb-doing-word,
to be kind and considerate, to treat all as we would love to be treated, simple and straightforward. That is God`s Love to us, and that is how God wants us to treat each other. We all know what is love and how to treat people lovingly and caringly. Matthew 7:1-10: tells us: " ask and ye shall receive," we ask for Love and Joy, then we thank for Love and Joy, and share all with our neighbour. It is what God wants us to do, Love is very important to our Heavenly Father. We might stumble and forget at times, but then we ask God to forgive us and carry on loving and caring.
The Bible tells us to " Repent and be Born Again," give up our old selfish habits, and live a loving life with our neighbours: all we know and all we meet,
friends an not friends. God sees our loving efforts, and God will Bless us.
Jesus our Saviour will help and guide us: JESUS IS THE WAY. The Love Jesus has for us, is of a higher nature, Jesus died that we might live. All we can do is to Love God/Jesus with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds, God`s Love for us great and HOLY, Jesus gave His Life for us.
I say this with love, chrislifted. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[chrislifted]

Dear chrislifted. When Jesus told us in Matthew 22: 35-40: Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind also: Love your neighbour as yourself, Jesus meant straightforward Love, as in loving and caring, be kind and compassionate, help where and when possible: generally treat others as you would love to be treated. To love is also a verb-doing-word,
to be kind and considerate, to treat all as we would love to be treated, simple and straightforward. That is God`s Love to us, and that is how God wants us to treat each other. We all know what is love and how to treat people lovingly and caringly. Matthew 7:1-10: tells us: " ask and ye shall receive," we ask for Love and Joy, then we thank for Love and Joy, and share all with our neighbour. It is what God wants us to do, Love is very important to our Heavenly Father. We might stumble and forget at times, but then we ask God to forgive us and carry on loving and caring.
The Bible tells us to " Repent and be Born Again," give up our old selfish habits, and live a loving life with our neighbours: all we know and all we meet,
friends an not friends. God sees our loving efforts, and God will Bless us.
Jesus our Saviour will help and guide us: JESUS IS THE WAY. The Love Jesus has for us, is of a higher nature, Jesus died that we might live. All we can do is to Love God/Jesus with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds, God`s Love for us great and HOLY, Jesus gave His Life for us.
I say this with love, chrislifted. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

Thanks Emmy. I do appreciate that. God bless you.