These words were directed to believers, not a specific church group. These are universal truths.
Agape love is a benevolent love desiring the best for the object of the love.
It is a command of God and God gives us the ability to do what He commands.
God so loved us that He made a way out of our sinful condition. John 3:16.
If we don’t want the best for others, we don’t know God. Our desire should be that everyone be saved and go to Heaven.
God is love It isn’t always easy to desire the best for others, like exes or those who have mistreated us or threatened us. But if God is in us, His love will flow through us. We need to abide in Him and allow Him to abide in us. 1 John 4:15-16.
The first fruit of the spirit is Love. Galatians 5:22-23. Only God can change, or transform, our hearts from hate to love. We have to get rid of negative attitudes of jealousy, covetousness, hate.
We have to have an attitude of love, then we have to act in love.
How do we act? We serve for the benefit of others. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
Love is patient…. And that is another fruit of the spirit. If we struggle with patience we have an issue with Agape love. Agape love gives mercy and patience. Love is the expansion joint that God gives us to deal with others.
God is forbearing and patient with us. When we recognize that, we can be forbearing and patient with others. Ephesians 4:2. Colossians 3:13.
If we can’t love one another, how can we love the world?
Agape love is more than acceptance. It is wanting the best for others.
We offend God but He sent His Son to atone for our offense and bring us back in relationship.
If someone has offended us, we need Agape love to forgive the offense.
To get Agape love we have to have transformation in our hearts. We have to surrender to God and allow Him to dwell in us.
I found this song and it made me cry. "Love You With the Truth"
1 John 4:7-11 NIV
God’s Love and Ours
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Lord, thank you for loving me so much that you gave your son Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for my sins. Please help me to love others enough to show your nature to them.
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