We thank You, Lord, that Your love is the greatest love of all

“Love is as strong as death … It burns like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it” (Song of Solomon 7:6-7). We thank You, Lord, that Your love is the greatest love of all: “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). We can never earn Your love: “If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned” (Song of Solomon 8:7). Your love is always Your gift to us. May Your love burn, in our hearts, “like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame” – a fire that burns up our dross, a refining fire that purifies us, a flame that burns for Your glory.

Comment: https://learningfromgodsword.wordpress.com/2018/06/13/we-thank-you-lord-that-your-love-is-the-greatest-love-of-all/

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It’s What?

“Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”¹

Alan Smith tells the story about a dignified, elderly woman who was among a group viewing an art exhibition in a newly opened gallery. When one contemporary painting caught her eye, addressing the artist standing nearby, she gasped, “What on earth is that?”

He smiled condescendingly. “That, my dear lady, is supposed to be a mother and her child.”

“Well, then,” reasoned the little old lady, “why isn’t it?”²

The rest is at: http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=675

The Greatness of God’s Love

This morning reading Romans 8 reminded me of the story of little Johnny visiting his grandparents on their farm.

Johnny was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced shooting rocks, but he could never hit the target. Discouraged, he headed back inside for lunch.

As he returned to his grandma’s backyard, he spied her pet duck. Impulsively he took aim and hit the duck square in the head and killed it. Johnny panicked and hid the duck in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister, Sally, watching.

After lunch that day Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.” But Sally responded, “Grandma. Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today, didn’t you Johnny?” And then she whispered to him. “Remember the duck!”

So Johnny did the dishes. What choice did he have?

Continue: https://thepreachersword.com/2018/05/31/the-greatness-of-gods-love/

His measure

Spirituality

True Love Must Be Reciprocated

By: Brian G. Chilton

Recently, I was talking to a friend of mine who was infatuated with a person who did not necessarily share the same sentiments. In fact, it was not certain what the other person really desired in their relationship. I will not mention anything more about this situation out of respect to those involved. This situation has cause me to do a lot of thinking about love, what it is, and what it entails. It seems to me that for true love to be genuine it must be reciprocated. That is, it must be accepted by both individuals in the relationship. We can learn a lot about love from God’s triune relationship.

I. Love is reciprocated in the Triune relationship.

When attempting to explain the triune nature of God, Norman Geisler uses the example of the genuine spirit of love to explain this difficult theological concept. Geisler’s illustration is not original to him, rather he took it from Augustine of Hippo. The following is Geisler’s depiction of love in the triune relationship of God:

“Augustine suggested an illustration of how God is both three and one at the same time. The Bible informs us that “God is love” (1 John 4:16). Love involves a lover, a beloved, and a spirit of love between lover and loved. The Father might be likened to the Lover; the Son to the One loved, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of love. Yet love does not exist unless these three are united as one. This illustration has the advantage of being personal, since it involves love, a characteristic that flows only from persons.”^[1]

Seeing that God is love (1 Jn. 4:16), the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a demonstration of perfect love in its purest form. Love is not force. Love is accepted and flows from person to person. There is a lover—one initiating the love, a beloved—the one receiving the love from the lover, and the spirit of love—a mutual received love between both parties. In the case of the triune relationship, this love is mutually given and received by all three members of the Godhead. We can learn a lot about love from God.

II. Love is reciprocated in human relationships.

Read more: https://bellatorchristi.com/2018/04/30/true-love-must-be-reciprocated/

3 Steps To Show Someone You Love Them

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