#knownbylove

[christblogtalk]

“LOVE CONVERSION” PART 2 REPLAY ON DECLARING THE FINISHED WORK

[christblogtalk]

“LOVE CONVERSION” ON DECLARING THE FINISHED WORK with PAT RANDALL

[eirenically]

We cannot fully know, intellectually, a Being—the Source of ours—that is beyond our comprehension. We can live fully the life that Being breathed generously into us: love. #teilharddechardin #toknowistolove #knownbylove #leannotonyourownunderstanding https://www.instagram.com/p/CLkorI4gw1g/?igshid=11qg6ul5io8mm

[eirenically]

Christ came so that all would be made right: between me and God, between me and you, and between us and all creation. That we would live in unified communion – as the first people lived before their eyes were opened to surface truths, blinded to the inner realities of image-bearers and their God. That we would covenant with one another – choose each other, and choose each other again, and again, and again . . . . #onechurch #knownbylove https://eirenicole.com/one-church-known-by-our-love/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BuXFOI4Aq8-/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=596dzop2qp2r

[jimps274-blog]

Jesus said that people would know we are His followers by our love for one another! God, make our love increase and abound! 1 Thessalonians 3:12 #knownbylove #lovegodlovepeople

[eirenically]

#mattersofdarkmatter: known by its gravitational effects, unseen, yet constitutes 84.5% the universe's total mass. So are we known by our effects, our presence a gravitational reality. Lysander's is compassion, love. Fitting the bday theme, also our fav syfy show, is #DarkMatter #knownbylove #theoreticmassisstillreallycool #hashtagsleastlikelytotrend

[lisaninaber]

Known By Love

“God is love.  When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us.” (1 John 4:16 The Message)

 If we claim to be children of God, the main thing that should set us apart from the world is not our lack of sin, but the way that we love others. First and foremost, that is who God is – a lover.  The entire gospel can be summed up in “for God so loved.”  That is why He did what He did in sending His son to this earth to die for us, as messed up as we are.  Why else would he suffer so, except that He loves us so desperately?

 If we claim to belong to Him, then that is how we must live – as a lover, loving Him and loving others.  Do you remember the song from the eighties?  They will know we are Christians by our love.  It really is true.  God says to us, “If anyone boasts, ‘I love God,’ and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar.  If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see?”  (1 John 4:20 The Message)

 Those are strong words.  If we truly belong to Him, His love should fill us and flow through us. And yet, I know, we sometimes struggle with this.  It’s not always easy to love people.  Most of us have someone in our lives that rubs us the wrong way.  We may not necessarily hate them, but we have a hard time liking them.  We may find ourselves becoming easily irritated with them or speaking negatively about them to others.  

 How can we overcome?  How can we become ones who are known by love?  How do we take up permanent residence in a life of love?  How do we go from being easily irritated by others to a place where “love covers a multitude of sins?”  

As I’ve said many times before, what we really need, more than any other thing, is a revelation of His love.  We must “know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you might be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19 NIV) If we are struggling in the area of loving others, it probably comes down to the fact that we really don’t have a full revelation of His great love for us.

 We need to think on His love often.  We need to ask Him to give us awareness and an understanding of His love. We need to look at our own brokenness and sin, which God willingly and fully pardoned.  When you think about it, His love is incredible.  That He could love me, as sinful as I am, amazes me.  

 When we realize how much we are loved, how much God has forgiven us, it’s much easier to love others.  When we realize the worth God the Father put on us, by sending His son to die for us, we come to see that all are precious in His sight.  He died for all.  He loved all – the entire world.  Everyone is unique, loved and created in His image.

 I believe it hurts God when we come against those whom He created. Kris Vallotton shared some wisdom on Facebook, some things He has learned in His time working with Bill Johnson.  He says, “Look for the good in people and focus on their goodness, not their flaws. Never speak negatively of anyone. Honor and celebrate all different kinds of people, regardless if you agree with them or not.”  These two statements really convicted me.

It’s very easy to look at people’s flaws. It’s easy to speak negatively of others. It’s easy to get irritated by others who are different from us.  That is because God created us all unique.  We are not the same.  We don’t think the same.  We don’t act the same.  We were all raised differently.  I guess that’s what makes life interesting.

 We must not expect everyone to be or think like us, instead we need to celebrate each other’s differences.  We need to focus on the good in others, not the flaws. Believe me, I need to be reminded of this as much as anyone.  This is something I struggle with, as I’m sure most of us do.

 “Lord we ask you for a greater revelation of Your love for us.  We desperately desire to know its height, depth, width and length.  We long to be so filled with Your love that we can’t help but love others.  We yearn to be known as ones who love.  We want to bring Your love to everyone we meet and everyone we live with, day in and day out.  May Your great love be shed abroad in our hearts.”

[kennethgcampbell]

There is a difference between people gathering and a Christian community.