There are many people who say they love with their lips;
they talk a lot, but that love doesn’t come from the heart.
There are many kinds of love:
Temporary love,
Financial love,
Show-off love,
Short-term love,
Self-interested love,
Passionate love,
Abusive love,
Exploiting love,
and many more forms of love.
But only in Christ Jesus do we find eternal love.
God’s love for us never changes.
It is always the same, 24/7.
It doesn’t grow cold, it doesn’t forget,
it forgives, it grows — more and more each day.
Great is the love of God.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
No one has greater love than this:
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13)
The love of God is wonderful, sublime, strong, faithful, and full of mercy.
It brings hope, strengthens our faith, teaches us how to love,
teaches us to value what we have,
gives us a new life, brings transformation,
and is always with us.
When we see people treating others badly —
betraying them, humiliating them, holding grudges,
and doing all they can to destroy others’ lives —
we must understand that all of this comes from a lack of love.
When a person abandons their home,
a place where they are loved,
to live elsewhere for selfish reasons,
and no longer provides for their family,
we know that a lack of love is present there.
True love does not lie,
true love always makes time for others,
true love comes directly from God,
for God is love.
Love does not seek its own interest.
True love remains the same every day.
It does not distrust, but rejoices
and lives in every moment.
Love is not materialistic,
it does not seek its own benefit,
but remembers the needs of others,
feels their pain, and stands up for them.
Love does not dwell in darkness,
nor in immorality.
Love takes no pleasure in falsehood,
nor dwells on others’ pasts.
Love is not envious,
does not throw things in others’ faces,
but loves — so that others may also be loved.
Do not love the world or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world —
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life —
is not from the Father but from the world. (1 John 2:15-16)
People must learn to recognize
the difference between perverse passion and true love,
for all that is perverse, impure, or against the nature of God
does not come from God but from the devil,
who manipulates and corrupts the human mind.
We love because He first loved us.
If someone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother,
he is a liar.
For whoever does not love his brother, whom he has seen,
cannot love God, whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:19)
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith;
be courageous; be strong.
Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Corinthians 16:14)
Love has a name: Christ Jesus.
Written by Pastor Marcel Balootje