Post by Cindy on Jun 26, 2015 7:59:00 GMT -5
THE DEPTH OF LOVE
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)
Christians are to love to the limit, which involves covering a “multitude of sins.” Sin must be dealt with but must also be forgiven. That’s what “cover” implies. We are to put a blanket over past sin that has been dealt with.
Examine yourself. Do you hold a grudge against someone in your house? If you do, remember that Jesus already paid the penalty for whatever that person did wrong. Your inability to forgive belies your love. And if a lack of forgiveness is characteristic of your life, you may not be a Christian.
Inevitably, those who have the greatest sense of forgiveness are quickest to forgive others. The people who know they’ve been forgiven much are able to forgive much. I hope that’s true of you.
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
“and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2)
The Bible doesn’t refer to Christian love as an emotion but as an act of self–sacrifice. A person who truly loves someone else doesn’t try to get anything out of that person. That’s because godly love is never conditioned on a response—it is unconditional.
The world often defines love in terms of what it can get. But God loves even if He never gets anything in return. If that kind of love characterized our marriages, the divorce rate wouldn’t be what it is today. If those who claim they don’t love their spouses anymore would commit themselves to loving them unconditionally, they just might find that they can recapture or rebuild their love. Our Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t love us for what He can get out of us; He loves us in spite of the hurt we cause Him. Make unconditional love your goal, and be humble, obedient, and self–sacrificing.
MEASURE YOUR LOVE
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,” (Ephesians 2:4)
The greatest measuring rod of love in the life of a Christian may be forgiveness. That’s because God showed His love to us in terms of forgiveness. The Bible could have taught us that God so loved the world that He made pretty flowers or trees or mountains. But it teaches that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). He gave His Son to forgive us. That certainly shows God’s love more than flowers, trees, or mountains.
Measure your love. Ask yourself, Do I love? If you don’t, you are not one of God’s own because the children of God love others (1 John 4:7–8). How can you know whether you are characterized by love? Ask yourself, Am I bitter toward someone because of something he did to me? Do I often get angry with people, either externally or internally? Do I speak maliciously behind people’s backs? Those are characteristics of your old lifestyle—characteristics you must get rid of in order to love and forgive others.
God’s love and the love of His children is forgiving, unconditional, and self–sacrificing, but you can be sure Satan will pervert that. Worldly love is shallow, selfish, sensual, and sexual, and Satan has sold that definition of love to the world.
MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)
Christians are to love to the limit, which involves covering a “multitude of sins.” Sin must be dealt with but must also be forgiven. That’s what “cover” implies. We are to put a blanket over past sin that has been dealt with.
Examine yourself. Do you hold a grudge against someone in your house? If you do, remember that Jesus already paid the penalty for whatever that person did wrong. Your inability to forgive belies your love. And if a lack of forgiveness is characteristic of your life, you may not be a Christian.
Inevitably, those who have the greatest sense of forgiveness are quickest to forgive others. The people who know they’ve been forgiven much are able to forgive much. I hope that’s true of you.
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
“and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2)
The Bible doesn’t refer to Christian love as an emotion but as an act of self–sacrifice. A person who truly loves someone else doesn’t try to get anything out of that person. That’s because godly love is never conditioned on a response—it is unconditional.
The world often defines love in terms of what it can get. But God loves even if He never gets anything in return. If that kind of love characterized our marriages, the divorce rate wouldn’t be what it is today. If those who claim they don’t love their spouses anymore would commit themselves to loving them unconditionally, they just might find that they can recapture or rebuild their love. Our Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t love us for what He can get out of us; He loves us in spite of the hurt we cause Him. Make unconditional love your goal, and be humble, obedient, and self–sacrificing.
MEASURE YOUR LOVE
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,” (Ephesians 2:4)
The greatest measuring rod of love in the life of a Christian may be forgiveness. That’s because God showed His love to us in terms of forgiveness. The Bible could have taught us that God so loved the world that He made pretty flowers or trees or mountains. But it teaches that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). He gave His Son to forgive us. That certainly shows God’s love more than flowers, trees, or mountains.
Measure your love. Ask yourself, Do I love? If you don’t, you are not one of God’s own because the children of God love others (1 John 4:7–8). How can you know whether you are characterized by love? Ask yourself, Am I bitter toward someone because of something he did to me? Do I often get angry with people, either externally or internally? Do I speak maliciously behind people’s backs? Those are characteristics of your old lifestyle—characteristics you must get rid of in order to love and forgive others.
God’s love and the love of His children is forgiving, unconditional, and self–sacrificing, but you can be sure Satan will pervert that. Worldly love is shallow, selfish, sensual, and sexual, and Satan has sold that definition of love to the world.
MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace
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