If I say I love you....

John 4:20-21..20) If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21) And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

It is easy to say we love God when it doesn't cost us anything more than weekly attendance in church. The real test is how we treat the people in front of us--our family, fellow believers, our neighbors. We cannot fully love God while neglecting to love those created in His image.

Love is a choice - an action.

John said "God is love" NOT "love is God". The world has turned the word love into a selfish and shallow word. The world thinks love is what makes you feel good and is willing to sacrifice even their own moral principles and those of others to obtain such love. That is selfishness, not real love!! Jesus is our example of real love. Read 1 Chorinthians 13:4-7.

Our society confuses love with lust. Unlike lust, God's kind of love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. It is totally unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. It is possible only if God helps us set aside our own desires and instincts so that we can give love while expecting nothing in return. Thus, the closer we come to Christ the more love we will show to others. Jesus is our example of real love. God is the source of our love, He loved us enough to sacrifice everything for us. He sees inside our hearts and loves us anyway. This is the way we should love. If God who created us can love us through (inspite of) our sins, who are we not to love one another "inspite of" our differences, "inspite of" what we perceive their actions or words to show us about them.

I've heard people say they've "tried" to love so and so but they just can't because they act like hypocrites or they lie or they don't do this or don't do that. It isn't up to us to judge. God doesn't instruct us to judge, in fact, He instructs us to "judge not". Luke 6:37, Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive and ye shall be forgiven. God instructs us to love, He gave His only son, the supreme sacrifice to die for those very sins in all of us that we so easily point out in others but don't see in ourselves. Luke 6: 41, And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? When Jesus died on the cross, He didn't say, "this is for Matthew, Mark, and Luke but not for John, Peter and Tawana", He died for ALL, so that we ALL could be forgiven. Remember His words in John 13:34, A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Love is a choice - Christ "chose" to love us.

How well do you display your love for God in the choices you make and the actions you take?

1 John 4:16-17 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17) Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world.

Thank you

pray for the peace of Israel

God bless

TawanaB