Word of The Month: Love

‘For God so loved the world He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16) You and I are broken and weak yet God chooses to love us anyway with everlasting love. According to John 15:12 we are loved, therefore we should love. I John 3:18 tells us to not just love with our words but with our actions. Our relationship with Jesus motivates us to love others without some kind of personal reward. The word love is used in both the Old and New Testament hundreds of times and it is no surprise that if we actually counted we would find that Jesus uses the word love 57 times in the Gospel of John. If we ask the Holy Spirit to come into our lives and help us to love as Jesus has taught us we will be changed.

DEFINITION: There are hundreds of definitions of the word love, described as both a noun and a verb. Love is primarily an action word in the Bible. Putting other people’s needs before our own, to be deeply committed and connected to someone. Love is giving, has no end, and is self-sacrificing.

SCRIPTURE: 1 John 4:16, ‘God is Love!’. John 15:12. This is my commandment that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 1 Corinthians 13, 14:13 and 16:14. John 15: 12-13, Matthew 5:43-45, Psalm 36: 5, Proverbs 17:17, John 14:15.

PUTTING IT TO WORK: Take the opportunity at dinner time to study the scriptures and talk with your family as to what it means to be loved by God. Talk about the presence of God’s love in our lives and how we can share love by our actions. Celebrate Valentines Day by showing your love for others by writing notes to friends, relatives, and neighbors. Read the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) then discuss with your family what it means to love your neighbor. Make phone calls, reach out to friends and neighbors and ask if they need anything, shovel their driveway, get their mail, deliver groceries, or take them to an appointment.   Be generous with your time by volunteering in your community or donate items or money to a charity. Thank God for his everlasting love. Pray that God will provide opportunities to show your love.

Here is the church’s sharing link to receive and contribute resources on this subject: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12SuoRad-ddeFOjmQ0K2-5YYPdPkL4Vpn