Thursday, July 09, 2009

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I’m in the midst of a word study on “love.” Why, you ask? Rather than praying for God to rid me of all selfishness, pride and unholy ambition, it’s seemed more effective to just try to love God more. When all my affections are shifted to Christ, selfishness, pride and ambition have no place left to stand. (I can’t love myself as much when I’m working on loving Christ more.) Call it a pro-active approach to killing the flesh.


Of course, love is a huge topic. Where L-O-V-E is not spelled out directly, it is knit in as a theme through the entire Bible. So I’m asking for your help.


If you stumble across a passage this week relating to love, or indirectly showing an aspect of God’s love, I’d love to read the verse and add it to my growing list. Verses on…


Pre-requisites for Love


  • Salvation (1 John 3:9-10)

  • Humility (Gal. 6:1-3)

  • Hope in Heaven (Col. 1:4-5)

Examples of Love


  • Christ’s life, death and continued intercession (1 John 3:16)

  • Father of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15)

Actions that Result from Love


  • Bearing each other’s burdens (Gal. 6:2)

  • Submission/Obedience (1 John 2:5, 1 John 2:27, 28)

  • Service/Giving (1 John 3:16-18)

Outgrowth/Consequences of Love in our lives


  • More love (1 John 2:10, 3:10)

  • Pain, which is inevitable when we love other people in a fallen world (Luke 6:29, Luke 15:11)

  • Heavenly rewards (Luke 6)

Let me know if you have a verse to add!