Love

We have often heard that God is love, and there are many scriptures that tell us about the magnitude of His love. Scriptures that say He loved us even when we were still sinners, Romans 5:8. And that He loved us so much that He gave His only begotten son, John 3:16.  But what about our part when it comes to love? Our responsibility, when it comes to showing and giving love to Him, to others, and even towards ourselves? Sure we love our families and friends who love us back, but the Bible says we should also love our enemies! That’s not so easy. What about loving ourselves? How many times have you looked in the mirror and scowled at what you saw, and maybe even said out loud that you hate yourself? What about how you love? Is it conditional?

First and foremost our love towards God. In His Word, it states that we should love God with all of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. That means He should come first in our lives. When we put Him first in our lives, He will bless us and things will begin to change in our lives for the better. God reminds us of that when He says to seek His kingdom first. The scriptures say love God but then go on to say that we should also love our neighbor as ourselves. Did you catch that? As ourselves. God expects us to love ourselves. Not a puffed-up self-admiration and vain kind of love, but rather loving ourselves enough to care for ourselves in the manner that we eat food, drink water, brush our teeth, and sleep. God wants us to be mindful of how we care for our bodies, our minds, and our souls. He reminds us of who we are or should be and he warns us of what could happen if we live our lives carelessly, He shows us in His word that there are consequences when we are not careful. And let’s not forget our neighbor. Who is our neighbor? Our neighbor is anyone and everyone. Not just the people next door but anyone you may encounter in your everyday life. The cashier, the customers, co-workers, friends, enemies, and the person next door. Over and over again God gives us instructions on what kind of attitude we should have and how we should treat our neighbor.

The Bible says in 1 John 4:16 that God is love and he that dwells in love dwells in God and God in him. What an awesome privilege and honor that God Himself would love us, and dwell in us! His love is unconditional, but dwelling in us, is conditional. Because God cannot dwell in the same place as sin dwells. When we receive the Holy Ghost, (God in us) we must do our best to remain free of sin, and God will help us if we ask. There is so much more to know about God, His love for you, His word, and His plan for your life. His salvation is specific and intentional. Seek Him while He may be found.

Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:32

Matthew 6:33

Luke 10:27

Ephesians 5:29

Ephesians 5:18, Galatians 5:21, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Peter 5:8

Colossians 312-14, John 15:12, Matthew 7:12, 1 John 4:21

Psalm 51:10-11

Isaiah 55: 6-7