A JOURNEY LIKE NEVER BEFORE PT FIVE
1JN 4 VS 7-21
1 John 4:7-21 (NKJV)
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
19 We love Him because He first loved us.
20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
WALKING IN LOVE PT. 2
**ARE WE EXHIBITING THE FOLLOWING TRAITS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH WALKING IN LOVE??
1. LOVE IS PATIENT IN DIFFICULTIES: “SUFFERS LONG”- GR: MAK-ROTH-OO-MEH-O WHICH MEANS:
"to not lose heart; to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring trouble and misfortune; to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others; to be slow to punish and slow to anger; to demonstrate self- restraint when provoked."
When you love someone, you will have this kind of attitude toward them. The person with this trait patiently endures suffering under injustice, abuse, and persecution.
**THE STORY OF JOSEPH IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF LOVE SUFFERS LONG.
2. LOVE IS KIND- GR- {khraste-yoo'-om- ahee}. It means "to show one's self mild; to be kind." It is the opposite of harshness. Love is patient and waits when one is mistreated. On the other hand, love is eager to spring into action to be kind. Kindness goes a long way with people, especially when there are conflicts, mistakes, and problems that need to be solved or forgiven. Kindness keeps our heads "cool" and helps us to think more clearly without the blur from fury and rage.
Romans 12:21 (NKJV)
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
3. LOVE REJOICES IN TRUTH- WHAT IS TRUTH AND WHO IS TRUTH??
**THEY ARE THE ONE AND THE SAME- JESUS CHRIST, THE WHAT IS TRUTH IS THE WORD OF GOD, THE WHO IS THE TRUTH JESUS MAKES THE STATEMENT THAT HE IS THE TRUTH:
Psalm 119:160 (NKJV)
160 The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
John 17:17 (NKJV)
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
John 14:6 (NKJV)
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
4. LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS- “IS PROTECTIVE” :
GR: is derived from the word stego {steg'-o} which means "to cover, protect, to put a roof over something, or to conceal the errors and faults of others." Love does not avenge wrongs that are done to you or seek revenge. Love doesn't have the attitude, "I will make them pay for that!" Love finds ways to forgive and to forget. Our Lord did this for us when He died on the cross crying out, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." He shed His blood to cover our sins and protect us from the wrath of God by putting our faith in Him.
1 Peter 4:8 (NKJV)
8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins."
5. LOVE BELIEVES ALL THINGS: BELIEVES THE BEST ABOUT PEOPLE:
"And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him" (Luke 17:4).
"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephes. 4:32).
"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye" (Col. 3:13).
6. LOVE HOPES ALL THINGS-
Love is hopeful in all things. In spite of trials, difficulties, discouragement, and the feeling of failure, love keeps on going because of the strength it has from hopefulness.
We are not overly fond of the word hope. We treat it as though it were a second-class word. If we ask someone if he is saved and he says, "I hope so," we feel that is a most unsatisfactory answer. We feel he needs more than just hope. But, in its own sphere, hope is a very strong word indeed. The second coming of the Lord Jesus is spoken of as a "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13). That is what keeps us going, which enables us to rise above our circumstances, to face the future, to laugh at death itself. We have something the world does not have, something the world cannot give, something it cannot take away. We have hope. The person who abandons hope soon succumbs. Hope is something more than simply having been blessed with a sanguine temperament. Hope is love's sister. Hope is born and bred in the believer by the Holy Spirit. Love is the driving force behind hope. Love is of God and love hopes in God. That was the great challenge of the psalmist, facing fears within and foes without. He said, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance" (Ps. 42:5). As each successive wave of depression threatened to overwhelm him he kept on saying it (42:11; 43:5). Poor William Cowper learned, in spite of his disability, to let love activate hope in his soul. Yes, and to teach others to sing when strong tides and stormy wakes threatened their lives:
Ye saints of God, fresh courage take,
Those clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
For the future belongs to God, and God is love, so hope, which deals in the future, looks at God and sings.
7. LOVE ENDURES ALL THINGS- THIS IS THE “BURDEN BEARER OF LOVE” THE WORD IN ITSELF MEANS: GR: HU-PO-MENO WHICH MEANS TO BEAR UP UNDER A LOAD- SIMPLY PUT IT ENDURES!
"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 10:22).
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Galatians 6:9).
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation [trial]: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" (James 1:12).
"Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy" (James 5:11).
"Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (Rev. 3:11).
8. LOVE NEVER FAILS:
I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS TALKING ABOUT ETERNITY- WHILE THINGS ON EARTH WILL FAIL AND PASS AWAY, LOVE NEVER WILL!
John 14:1-3 (NKJV)
1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
On Facebook, the following story was recorded on the site called I Love Simplicity, which illustrates so well the gentleness and patience of love for others. A New York City Taxi driver recorded the following story:
I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.
'It's nothing,' I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'
'Oh, you're such a good boy,' she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' 'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly. 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.'
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
'What route would you like me to take?' I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now.' We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. 'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.
'Nothing,' I said. 'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware, beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one!
Beloved, don't miss out on wonderful moments in your life by failing to love other people. Solomon put it this way, " Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it..." (Song of Songs 8:7).
