How Does Love Behave?

All that we need to know about life and living, we can learn from the Scriptures. God gives us direct instructions as well as practical guidelines for every area of life. This includes understanding how to demonstrate genuine love.

Here are several Scriptures on the topic:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant . . . (1 Cor 13:4 ESV)

. . . but rejoices in the truth . . . (1 Cor 13:6b MEV)

It [love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Cor 13:7 NIV)

When we love someone, the greatest gift that we can give them is to love them the way that God loves each and every one of us. Some key points the Bible teaches about love is that LOVE:

Is patient,
Is kind,
Rejoices in the truth,
Always protects,
Always trusts,
Always hopes, and
Always perseveres.

If we FIRST consider each of these statements in light of God’s love for each and every one of us, we will feel humbled and honored by the unconditional love that God offers to each and every believer. Let us rejoice in His love and give Him praise and thanksgiving for it.

Now, we need to look at this truth in relation to how we act toward those whom we love. Do we display these traits with our relatives, our children, our friends? Do we give this kind of love unfailingly to our spouse? We need to take the time to meditate upon this from time to time to make any necessary adjustments to our thinking and our actions.

Let us follow the example that our Lord Jesus gave to us. He loved us so much that He sacrificed everything to reconcile each one of us back to a loving relationship with our heavenly Father God. Praise the Lord!

Why Forgiveness is Important

Jesus is our perfect example in all things, and He demonstrated forgiveness to us. (See John 8:7 & 11) Let’s see what else the Scriptures teach us on this topic.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Mt 6:14-15 ESV)

Whenever you stand up to pray, you must forgive what others have done to you. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins. (Mk 11:25 CEV)

Both preceding verses remind us that as we forgive other people for ways in which they hurt us, our Father God also forgives us for our sins. And they warn that if we don’t forgive others their transgressions, then the Lord won’t be able to forgive us. Why? Because our unforgiving attitude separates us from God, and from His loving plan for all people. Unforgiveness can become a bitter root within us corrupting our faith in God.

But love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Lk 6:35-36 NASB)

In Luke 6, we’re taught by the Lord to love our enemies and even to do good to them. We’re told to lend, without expecting repayment—but then the Lord will give us a great reward. The reason for that is that the Lord is kind to ungrateful and evil people, and when we act the same way, He is mightily pleased with us.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Col 3:13 NIV)

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:32 NIV)

The two verses above in Colossians and Ephesians emphasize that we should be patient with each other and kind to one another. And again, we are urged most definitely to forgive others in honor and remembrance of the fact that the Lord has forgiven us repeatedly. As we humbly recall the many occasions that our Savior has forgiven every one of us, we can begin to recognize that the Lord is not asking us to do anything that He has not already done!

After forgiving someone, it may be necessary for us to forgive them again for the same issue. Not because they have offended us again, but because the enemy of our souls tries to tempt us by reminding us of the offense to break our fellowship with Jesus.

That gives us the opportunity to submit to the Lord and pray, telling ourselves and the entire spiritual realm that we forgive the one who hurt us, and we do so freely in obedience to the Lord. The Lord will give us the grace that we need to be able to arrive at the peace that He so fully provides as the Prince of Peace. God bless you!

A Good Spouse is God’s Gift

A good spouse (whether husband or wife) is a gift and a blessing from God. These next verses mention the blessing of a prudent and excellent wife, but a kind and loving husband is also a gift from God.

He who finds a wife finds what is good, gaining favor from the Lord. (Pro 18:22 CEB)

Houses and wealth are inherited from parents but a prudent wife is from the Lord. (Pro 19:14 NIV)

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. (Pro 31:10-12 ESV – see also verses 13-31)

As the Scriptures teach us, EVERY GOOD THING is from our heavenly Father.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (Jas 1:17 NASB)

A good spouse blesses us in so many ways by providing:

Companionship and connection
Attraction, intimacy and passion
A confidant and spiritual partner and
A sense of purpose in having children and raising them together.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Gen 2:24 NKJV)

. . . and the two will become one flesh.’^[So they are no longer two, but one flesh. (Mk 10:8 NIV) Spouses from the Lord become one body with their partner—united in faith, love and bringing glory to God.

Working Hard Has Benefits

We can’t bring any glory to the Lord or to the Kingdom of God by being lazy. There is no honor in laziness, nor is there any glory in being idle. I want to make it clear that I’m NOT talking about people who yearn to work, who have searched rigorously and urgently for employment, but haven’t been able to obtain it. That’s not the same thing.

What these Scriptures are addressing are people who prefer to be idle, and those who choose to engage in gossip and spreading rumors rather than performing true, diligent labor.

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. (Pro 14:23 NIV) This verse teaches us that working hard brings us the benefit of being paid for our labor. Those who only talk about working, but who actually do nothing, earn no wages and can buy no groceries.

For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. ¹¹For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. (2 Thes 3:10-11 NKJV) This excerpt from 2 Thessalonians demonstrates the truth that people who won’t work will have nothing to eat. In addition, when people don’t work they have lots of time on their hands which the enemy can turn into opportunities to sin against God. While all sin is displeasing to God, the sin of gossip displeases the Lord greatly. It is the reason that the Scriptures describe such persons as busybodies.

And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not. (1 Tim 5:13 NKJV) Here again, the Bible warns us about idle hands and minds being turned toward evil, unrighteous pastimes.

As we see from Proverbs 14:23 (above), the Holy Spirit says that ALL hard work brings financial gain and advantages to the ones who work diligently. The Bible encourages believers to work hard, to be responsible and kind, and to live honorably within our communities so that we are an asset to them. God will reward us with His blessings as we live obediently to His word. Praise His Name!

Instructions for Holy Living

Today we’re taking note of the Bible’s helpful ideas about holy living.

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. ²¹Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. ²²Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2 Tim 2:20-26 NIV)

The passage above is talking about different kinds of people who all attend the same church. Some are precious vessels of gold and silver who can withstand the fires of hardship, heartaches, or persecution. Others are vessels of wood and earth which are fragile and soon destroyed in the flames of hardship and misfortune.

The people who constantly purify themselves by “being cleansed by the washing of the water of the word” (Eph 5:26 NASB)—reading and obeying God’s Word regularly—are set apart and made holy unto God.

We’re told to run away from the lusts of the flesh. Instead, we should pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to be diligent to avoid unwise and reckless squabbles. The Spirit of God instructs us to be kind to everyone, able to teach God’s ways to others, and that we should be thankful. We are urged to treat our enemies gently by sharing God’s Word and wisdom with them, and in so doing, hope to bring them to salvation.

Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. (Tit 1:7 NIV)

The book of Titus reminds us that anyone in a place of authority should be virtuous and approachable. We should not give in to human frailties such as intoxication; physical or verbal abuse; or chasing after or being corrupted by seeking wealth.

Keep away from worthless and useless talk. It only leads people farther away from God. (2 Tim 2:16 CEV)

Avoid discussions that have no spiritual or eternal value, which can only alienate people from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

These are fairly easy to understand guidelines which are challenging to fulfill without the ongoing grace of God and our obedience to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit in our lives. God bless you!

Make Every Effort to Do Good to All

The Bible invites us to do good to everyone.

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. (1 Thes 5:15 NIV)

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Gal 6:10)

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord . . . (Heb 12:14)

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. (3 Joh 1:11)

As children of the most High God, we desire to live holy lives that obey the Word of God. We serve a good God who is full of mercy, forgiveness, and love. God has given every believer the blessing of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who leads us and teaches us.

We should:

Strive to do whatever is good—for each other and everyone else;
Never pay back a wrong; never seek revenge;
As we have opportunity, do noble, virtuous, kind things for everyone—especially other believers;
Seek to be at peace with ALL; and
Pursue holiness always.

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, demonstrated “doing good” to all. If we follow His example, and emulate our Prince of Peace, we will be blessed.

Be Generous

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. (Lk 6:35 NIV, underscoring added)

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. (Pro 19:17 ESV, underscoring added)

It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. (Ps 112:5 ESV, underscoring added)

Justice means fair play, impartiality, objectivity or neutrality. The Scripture verse shown above (Ps 112:5) talks about a person who deals generously, lends to others, and conducts his affairs with justice. All of these character traits are traits of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our example. (See Phil 2:5; 1 Pet 2:21)

The Lord challenges us to test Him with our generosity just so that we will learn that we cannot out-give God! (Mal 3:10-12) It is the only area in which the Lord has instructed us to test Him. Just ponder that for a little while . . .

The Lord demonstrated His love for mankind by GIVING His only begotten Son to become our Savior. That was sacrificial love and sacrificial giving on God’s part, and anyone who is a parent understands that completely.

The focus of this article is about the call to believers to be generous—to live a generous lifestyle. And it’s crucial for us to understand that God the Father gave generously, and Jesus Christ gave generously, also.

And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Ac 20:35)

When we live a generous lifestyle while here on earth, in obedience to our heavenly Father, the Lord sees it and He places treasure in heaven aside for us as a reward. (Mt 6:19-21) God is most pleased when we share what we have with others, especially with those who are needy. (Mt 10:8; Heb 13:16)

Live generously and with joy! We believers are being transformed daily into the image of Christ, and this is simply one way in which we may cooperate with the Lord in our own transformation. (See Rom 8:29-30; Phil 2:13; 3:21; Col 3:10; 2 Cor 3:18) Blessings upon you!

Accumulate Treasure in Heaven

Do you like to be a good steward? If so, this topic should appeal to you.

(This is Part 2 of the article titled Treasure posted to this blog on 08-08-2019.)

. . . but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Mt 6:20)

Of course, this verse is talking about spiritual treasures. What are spiritual treasures and how are they earned?

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Mt 19:21)

So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Lk 18:22)

Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, ¹⁹storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (1 Tim 6:18-19)

The three verses above are saying that such treasure will accumulate from believers performing kind and generous, God-glorifying acts. We must not hoard wealth and riches. We should be ready to give, willing to share. Spiritual treasures will also come through obediently following Jesus and bringing glory to the Kingdom of God.

There is another way to think about Matthew 6:20 and that is in light of the story of the prodigal son. The prodigal son went to his wealthy father and asked for his inheritance. After the son received his portion, he left home and went to live far away. He spent all of his wealth on sinful, degenerate living. When he was hungry and destitute, he thought of his father and his father’s household. He determined that he’d rather be a slave for his father than to spend any more time looking for food along with pigs in a sty.

When the father saw his son on the road near home, the father ran to the son and threw his arms around him. With joy and celebration, the happy father bestowed gifts upon his son and held a party for him. This depicts the fact that this son was his father’s treasure. And the father rejoiced over the return of his beloved son, his treasure.

Does the Bible support this concept? I think it does. The Word reminds us that we are highly valued and cherished by God.

“They will be mine,” says the Lord Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession.” (Mal 3:17 NIV)

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:26)

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people . . . (1 Pet 2:9)

We are God’s treasure! When God the Father looked throughout the universe for something to give His only Son in reward for what He had accomplished on earth, the Father handpicked you! You are the Father’s treasure—His priceless gift of love to the Son! ~ Anne Graham Lotz
(Source: https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/joy-of-my-heart-with-anne-graham-lotz/joy-of-my-heart-with-anne-graham-lotz-january-11.html)

The Lord has chosen each one of us for Himself as His special treasure. (Ps 135:4)

We, the children of God, are the treasure that God accumulates in heaven! We are a gift of love cherished in the heart of God.

Give What You Have

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Ac 3:6)

We can only give out of what we have received (or experienced) ourselves!

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (Eph 4:32)

Since God has forgiven us of ALL of our sins, shouldn’t we extend that same forgiveness to others?

Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you? (Mt 18:32)

This is where the master had forgiven his servant a huge debt. Then this SAME [released] servant had his fellow servant put in jail, because he owed the released man a small amount of money! Shouldn’t the released man have shown the same compassion that he himself had received?

Through these concepts, we can learn several things, among which are:

a) We must acknowledge the good things that we, ourselves, have received from our heavenly Father before we can minister those things to others. When we acknowledge that we have received compassion, we’re able to share compassion. When we agree that we have received forgiveness from God, we’re able to forgive those who have hurt us.
b) We’re told by the Lord in His Word that we should be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving to others, because we have received those same things from God through Jesus Christ.
c) We can only GIVE out of what we DO HAVE! Are you aware of all that you have in Jesus Christ?

Study what you DO HAVE in Jesus so that you may minister those wonderful blessings and gifts to the hurting and the needy. The world is waiting . . . yearning for the manifestation of the sons (children) of God. (Rom 8:19)

Be Tenderhearted

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:32)

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous . . . (1 Pet 3:8)

. . . because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord. (2 Chr 34:27)

Tenderhearted means kind, gentle, compassionate, or sympathetic. We don’t often consider this, but tenderheartedness is an attribute of Jesus. This is why He was reported to have wept over Jerusalem. (Lk 19:41) He saw into their future, and He had compassion for all of the people who lived there.

So, too, the Lord wants us to be tenderhearted toward others. He wants our compassion and gentleness to move us to help others and to be merciful to them. Someone who is tenderhearted would never rejoice over someone else’s calamity or misfortune. Rather they would be moved to have sympathy for them, and to pray for them and consider how they might be able to help them.

And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He [Jesus] said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. (Mk 3:5 – parenthesized word added)

Jesus did this miracle deliberately even though He knew that the scribes who were in the crowd were silently critical of His actions. Their hardness of heart angered the Lord, but He determined to continue to minister His love and mercy in spite of their doubt and criticism. He demonstrated His tenderheartedness to the man with the withered hand.

Let us always have a tender heart towards ALL who need salvation, healing, and mercy. Jesus gave us His example to follow by ministering to those who were hurting, in pain, or impoverished due to a sickness or disease with which they had been afflicted. Jesus came to bring salvation to mankind, and He tenderheartedly fulfilled His assignment. Hallelujah!

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