Love

• Love in marriage is strong (Song of Songs 8: 6-7)-Song of Solomon 8:6 (KJV) Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.  Song of Solomon 8:7 (KJV) Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.
• Love your enemies (Matthew 5: 43-44)- Matthew 5:43 (KJV) Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  Matthew 5:44 (KJV) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

This verse is saying that most people react to their enemies with hatred; however, the LORD wants His Children to react the opposite.  He wants Us to have and show love for them.  To do what He has done.  To bless them that curse us, do good to those that hate us; and pray for those which despitefully use and persecute us; the reason for this is that there is no reward in loving only those who love you.  To be God's Child is to love even the impossible ones to love.

• Loving God is the most important command (Mark 12: 29-30)-Mark 12:29 (KJV) And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: Mark 12:30 (KJV) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

This verse is saying that loving God is the most important thing for a Christian.  Loving Him above all else.  We must love Him even more than ourselves.  Put Him first, above all else.  So obeying His commands above even our own wants, or desires.

• Christians must love each other (John 13:34)-John 13:34 (KJV) A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

We also must love one another with the same love that God shows us.  We must be concerned about one another.  

• We cannot be separated from Jesus' love (Romans 8: 35-39)- Romans 8:35 (KJV) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Romans 8:36 (KJV) As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  Romans 8:37 (KJV) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  Romans 8:38 (KJV) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  Romans 8:39 (KJV) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What this means is that there is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from our LORD.  It does not matter what trials, tribulations, illness, anything that you could think of.  Though many times we are tried; our faith is tested, we go through many difficulties; but, that will not separate us from the love of God.  He will always love us.  What this means is that His love has given us victory over it all.  These things will not change the love He has for His Children.

• Love must be genuine (Romans 12: 9)-Romans 12:9 (KJV) Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
  

​The love that we have for God, ourselves, and one another should be truly genuine.  We should not pretend to have love.  We should hate what is evil, and love what is good.  This is God's love for His Children. 

• Love never quits (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)-1 Corinthians 13:4 (KJV) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 1 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 1 Corinthians 13:6 (KJV) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 1 Corinthians 13:7 (KJV) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  1 Corinthians 13:8 (KJV) Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Love is the most important attribute of a Christian.  When we love God and one another, we are not easily discouraged.  We show kindness like He shows kindness.  We should not be envious; we should be content with what the LORD has blessed us with in every area of our lives.  We should not be prideful.  We should not be disrespectful or obnoxious.  We should not be selfish.  We should not be easily angered.  We should be optimistic.  We should not think negatively; or of evil things.  We should not be glad to see the bad.  We should be happy in truth.  We should be patient. Always believing the best of one another.  True love never fails.  The gifts from God are temporary.  But the love that God gives is eternal.

• God's love for us is beyond our understanding (Ephesians 3:18)-Ephesians 3:18 (KJV) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;​
  

When we are rooted and grounded in God's love, we will be able to understand along with the body of Christ how deep, long, broad, and great God's love is.  His love never ends, and there's nothing that He cannot endure.  His love is so deep that man cannot understand it.  There are people/circumstances that sometimes we would never be able to understand how God can love them.  Nonetheless, God's love is that great that He loves them.  His love is infinite. 

• Love helps you look past offenses (1Peter 4: 8)-1 Peter 4:8 (KJV) And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
  

​God's love is so great that His love covers many many sins.  The sins of our past are long forgotten by God.  We should also love in this way.  We are to forgive, and forget.

• God is love (1 John 4: 16)-1 John 4:16 (KJV) And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
  

​The love that we have was given by God.  He that has love lives in God, and God lives in Him.  Without God we would not be able to show love for all.  It would not be possible to have love without God.​​

• We must be known for our love (2 John 1: 5)- 2 John 1:5 (KJV) And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

God has shown His love to man and all creation in that He so loved the world, that He gave His one and only begotten son that whoever believes shall have eternal salvation through Christ Jesus this is the beginning, and the end of the Gospel.  The love of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  May God continue to bless and keep you all.  Amen.