Psalm 107:8-9
King James Version
8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For he satisfieth the longing soul,
and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
No doubt about it.
Man longs for love.
Why else all the love songs?
All the poetry.
All the marriages.
All the relationships.
All the everyday attempts.
Whether in life, or in death.
Man has a deep longing.
Man longs for love.
A true kind of love.
The longing has been:
To be loved for self.
To be loved for all that you are.
To be loved unconditionally.
To be loved forever.
Does such a love exist?
Have you found it yet?
Have we found it among ourselves?
Perhaps, we look in the wrong places.
Through the many ways the world offers love.
And often, with a price.
That is not love.
This is love:
Jeremiah 31:3
King James Version
3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying,
Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:
therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
Luke 6:27-28
King James Version
27 But I say unto you which hear,
Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you.
John 3:16-17
King James Version
16 For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world
to condemn the world;
but that the world through him
might be saved.
Romans 5:8-9
King James Version
8 But God commendeth his love toward us,
in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood,
we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Romans 8:35-39
King James Version
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written,
For thy sake we are killed all the day long;
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come,
39 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.
Romans 12:9-10
King James Version
9 Let love be without dissimulation.
Abhor that which is evil;
cleave to that which is good.
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another
with brotherly love;
in honour preferring one another;
1 Corinthians 13:1-7
King James Version
13 Though I speak with the tongues of men
and of angels, and have not charity,
I am become as sounding brass,
or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy,
and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge;
and though I have all faith,
so that I could remove mountains,
and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned,
and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind;
charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself,
is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity,
but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things,
believeth all things,
hopeth all things,
endureth all things.
Ephesians 2:8-9
King James Version
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works,
lest any man should boast.
1 John 3:16
King James Version
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God,
because he laid down his life for us:
and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren.
1 John 4:8
King James Version
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God;
for God is love.
1 John 4:9
King James Version
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us,
because that God sent his only begotten Son
into the world, that we might live through him.
1 John 4:10
King James Version
10 Herein is love,
not that we loved God,
but that he loved us,
and sent his Son
to be the propitiation
for our sins.
1 John 4:16
King James Version
16 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.
1 John 4:18
King James Version
18 There is no fear in love;
but perfect love casteth out fear:
because fear hath torment.
He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:19
King James Version
19 We love him,
because he first loved us.
LOVE is a GIFT freely given.
You don't have to earn it.
You don't have to beg for it.
You don't have to demand it.
True love comes from a GOD-filled heart.
A gift given joyfully.
Given generously.
With no expectations.
No hidden agenda.
No strings attached, ever.
Exactly as JESUS taught us.
GOD is LOVE.
He sent His Son to teach us how to love.
That's why we need to write another article.
Showing us the really "hard" teachings.
But it's the only way to love.
As JESUS taught us.
The beauty of being born again is there is no more longing.
You know you are already loved by GOD.
Your only concern is to learn to love as JESUS loved.
Perfectly, precisely, purely.
And that will be for that other post.
Which we will share here, soon as we've written it.
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