Wednesday, February 1st, 2006
A Study on Love – Edition #26
Tomorrow is Groundhogs day. Ah… I loved the movie. Maybe I should give it a watch tomorrow. Yesterday my son was a trial. Keeping me and my wife on our tows, he kept us busy and really tested our love. Children can do that, I guess. He kept crying and crying and kept wanting things that we were not sure what it was. It is written that love always perseveres. I think we did that, but the thing is that is doesn’t say that love is always easy. And that is because love isn’t always easy. I mean, if I am to love my enemies, and if an enemy were to come in here and take out my son and wife with a 42, and I am to love that person, that wouldn’t be easy at all. In fact, I would want to take that gun and use it on them.
Numbers 14:17-19
17 "Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.' 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now."
1st Corinthians 13:1-8a
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.
Luke 7:44-48
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
Something that the bible doesn’t say, but I will say it… love always forgives. That is what Jesus was all about or at least part of what he was about. He came here to save the lost… how can I save the lost if I don’t forgive them? And I like how Moses put it… in accordance to your great love… in other words, in agreement to your love. In the act of granting your great love, forgive these people. What is something to note, Jesus, god in the flesh, never condemned anyone. He never said, you are going to go to hell, you stupid sinner! The only time he raised his voice was when the people made the church a market place and when the kids were mistreated. In fact, he raised up the sinners. He protected them in many ways (the woman who was going to get stoned, the tax collector who prayed, eating at Zacchaeus’ house). And it was showing this love and forgiveness that these people came to be his followers. We forgive, because we were first forgiven.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
A Study on Love - Edition #26
Posted by Weather Man at 9:48 AM
Labels: Johnny Ray's Quiet Time, Loving