IT’S
ALL ABOUT LOVE
Today, I shared the following in church. Just something that I have been learning from the Lord for quite a while now....but intensified for the past week. I find that our Christian life is always about love. Why am I so impatient with my children? With people who are slow? Why do I get so worked up over someone who does not do as I expect? Literally get mad at people who do not obey the traffic rules? Whatever my reasoning may be....it boils down to lack of love.
So this week, I prayed and spoke to the Lord, that I truly want to be filled with His love....not that I have not asked before. Just that I feel I have failed (countless times!) and want to be diligent to change in my ways. especially so, now that I want to go out and pray for people, for healing and deliverance, and to just SHOW others God's love.
First mention of LOVE in the Bible
GENESIS 27:4
And make my savoury meat, such as I love (157), and bring it to
me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
(From
Lexical Aids to the Old Testament)
SC Hebrew
157 אָהַב Ahab (verb). desire, delight, like, be fond of,
covet, be beloved, amiable, be a passionate lover. It implies an ardent and
vehement inclination of the mind and the tenderness of affection at the same
time. Ahab has
the extensive sense of the English word “love”. It is used to describe the
unspeakable love and tender mercies of God in the covenant relationship with
his people. This word appears about 250 times in the Hebrew Bible. It
denotes a strong emotional attachment for and a desire to possess or be in the
presence of the object of love.
Things were
loved in the OT :
Savoury meat
(Genesis 27:4)
Oil
(Proverbs 21:17)
Silver
(Ecclesiastes 5:9)
God’s law
(Psalm 119)
Evil (Psalm
52:3)
Truth and
Peace (Zechariah 8:19)
Salvation
(Psalm 40:16)
Wisdom
(Proverbs 29:3)
Vanity
(Psalm 4:2)
Cursing
(Psalm 109:17)
Death
(Proverbs 8:36)
God loved
His people (Deuteronomy 4:37, Isaiah 43:4, Malachi 1:2)
We are to
love God, and with all that we have (Exodus 20:6 first mention of us loving God Deuteronomy 6:5 first instruction to love God)
Above all
else, Jesus instructed us to Ahab (love)
God more than anything else (Deuteronomy 6:5), which is one of the pillars that
the entire OT and NT rests (Mark 12:30,31). God certainly loved His people, and
the Greek counterpart is agape (26)
and agapao (25).
Matthew 5:43-46
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love (25) your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I say to you, love (25) your enemies, bless those who curse
you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you
and persecute you.
That you may be the sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes
His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the
unjust.
For if you love (25) those who love (25) you, what reward have
you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
SC Greek 25 Agapao, to love indicates a
direction of the will and finding one’s joy in anything. Contrast with phileo (5368), to be contented with, denoting common interests,
hence befriending. Agapao is used of
God’s love toward man and vice versa, but phileo
is never used of the love of men toward God. Agapao, and never phileo,
is used of love toward our enemies. Agapao
stands higher above phileo because
it is love that expresses itself in compassion.
SC Greek 26 Agape, love, a word not found in
Classical Greek but only in revealed religion. It means benevolent love. Its
benevolence is not shown by doing what the person loved or desire, but what the
one who loves believes and knows is needed by the one loved. E.g. ‘For God so
loved…..that He gave…” What did God give? Not what man wanted, but God knew man
needed, His Son to bring forgiveness to man. God’s love for man is God doing what He thinks best for man and not
what man desires. But for man to show love to God, man must first appropriate
(suitable and proper for a condition or circumstance) God’s agape, for only God has such an ‘unselfish’ love.
(Most of the explanation of the Biblical words are from Lexical Aids to the OT and NT)
It is amazing that God would put the passage on LOVING OUR ENEMIES as the first mention of 'love' in the New Testament. He certainly knows what is good for our heart and soul! And loving God is about appropriating, i.e. doing what is suitable and proper for a condition or circumstance (to and for our neighbour!) God's love! God's Word is truly amazing!!
1.
THANKFULNESS
1 Thessalonians 5:18
2.
JOY
AND PEACE
Roman
14:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:16
3.
PATIENCE
(perseverance, suffers long)
1
Thessalonians 5:14, 1 Corinthians 13:4
4. FORGIVENESS
Matthew 6:5-15
When I find that I lose any of the above, that is, complain instead of being thankful, upset and agitated instead of having joy and peace, impatient (!!!)....I DO know something is wrong. And I think the most important of all is to forgiving. We are people that get easily offended. Don't! It is not worth it! That is why Jesus said that this is a serious matter - if we do not forgive, then God the Father will not forgive us. We would be in serious trouble if we do not forgive!
This is what I have been learning ....to be thankful for those we know, the things we have, and just enjoying God and the people around us. Learning to be patient with all (I was sharing that I am homeschooling my children so that I learn PATIENCE!) and always forgiving.
SHALOM!!
