Lets discuss LOVE

This is a positive and encouraging topic of interest to Christians. (not economic downturns, moneychangers in the temple, and other stuff to do with money...some of us don't really have any...lol)

So..feel free to encourage and be positive. What does Love mean to you and when did you start realising God loved you. What was your life BC (before Christ) and your life now ABBA (after being born again).
 
I know what you mean about not having money. There was a time when I was doing very well financially, but part of it was attributed to corruption. It's strange; I lost everything I had and every time I'd start to acquire wealth again, I'd loose it.

I like bartering or trading and it seems to me there will come a time when others will do a great deal of that without mammon.

I was a little hard headed back then and wasn't following The Almighty. It finally dawned on me that there was purpose in that and God was teaching me Not to love money and material belongings as well as being involved with corruption. There was also a lesson about selfishness.

Now I don't try to acquire anything unless it's needed to mete out a feeble existence.

It's kind of hard for me to define love. I think we can or have felt a small portion from God Almighty, but I expect when this era is done and gone we will come to know an over whelming love that can only come from the Father.
 
I am making the assumption that you are talking about God's unselfish sacrificial love. The Bible speaks of that love and brotherly love and erotic love and love of country.

A passage that was just put into mind that highlights the difference between sacrificial love and brotherly love is:

John 21 :15-17

15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You " He said to him, "Tend My lambs." 16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You " Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep. (NASB)

I am not a language scholar, but one who is once told me that Jesus kept asking Peter "Do you love me with God's sacrificial love?", and Peter kept answering with "You know that I love you with brotherly love". The reason that Peter was grieved is that he knew that the Lord was asking of him a much more difficult kind of love than Peter was then able to give. Peter, who had recently denied knowing Christ after stating that he would never do that, could not respond that he could. At least Peter recognized his failings. Christ, who knows all our hearts could still use him to build the body of believers. As Peter built that core of believers, he became capable of Agape meaning sacrificial love.

I am sure that there are other members of this site that can confirm or correct me.
 
Being raised in a Christian home, my earliest experience of God's love was through my parents, and they are still a tremendous witness to it today. I'm indebted to them for exposing me to such love. I can only hope that I love as unconditionally as they do for me.
 
Hmm. I think Jesus was asking Peter if he loved HIM. Peter kept thinking literally that Jesus was asking if Peter loved JESUS. But Jesus kept asking him again and again saying if he REALLY loved him, Lord Jesus, he would love his sheep, cos in a sense, JESUS is IN the sheep.

He wasnt asking about the different types of love. There is only ONE TRUE LOVE.

Basically if you love God, you will love and care for his children.

There is no need to translate love into different kinds when Peter was being just a bit thick. Lol. Got to love Peter!
 
You dont need to be a language scholar to know what love is.
I know you saying the same thing, but no need to divide love into different kinds. Jesus loved, as a brother AND sacrificed his life. Jesus wasnt asking Peter to sacrifice his life by loving other people, I mean he was still alive...I suppose he meant spiritually, or ...how far will you go to love someone? We do not have to literally die like Jesus did, but we do need to die and be born again.

What Jesus was asking was the second commandment. Love one another as you love God.
 
Loving someone can be hard. Esp loving your enemies. Loving the sheep is easy. In and ideal world, everyone would be sheep, and love each other all the time. Like lysander ..growing up in a christian home, that sounds wonderful to me. I never had that, but I think God sent his angels watching over me. I heard the gospel every Christmas..about a saviour called Jesus. I thought christmas was like Jesus. I wished or believed that one day every day would be like christmas when Jesus came back and everyone would love each other and celebrate like on christmas morning.
 
Um...bible talks about erotic love? Love of country? Um...
Where?
Song of solomon, first I suppose, whereabout is love of country? Do you mean love of nature, or creation? Or you mean God loves Jerusalem like the apple of his eye?
Bible talks about love of animals...esp sheep...
Noah was righteous. He built the ark.
 
Arent these all kinds of love but only ONE love? Just differnt aspects.
Or do reckon some ppl love more deeply than others? That as we go on love just gets deeper and deeper or more high and more vast? You know how some ppl say they are 'shallow'. Is that what you mean?
 
One interesting definition of love is the tennis def which means nothing. Or maybe 'free' like people say...you do it for love. Meaning you do it without getting paid.
 
This is a positive and encouraging topic of interest to Christians. (not economic downturns, moneychangers in the temple, and other stuff to do with money...some of us don't really have any...lol)

So..feel free to encourage and be positive. What does Love mean to you and when did you start realising God loved you. What was your life BC (before Christ) and your life now ABBA (after being born again).

IMO, God's love manifested itself in Christ so that by His death and resurrection we might be able to share in His love and grace.

Christ was God's love in action for all to see the depth of His love.
 
Yes, love is a difficult topic, so many see such vastness in the term.
To me a "facet" of love is when you do something for someone, even though it holds you no benefit, or may make you feel that you're going to be worse off, but you do it anyway because it is what that person requires.
Love is not a feeling, it is an act of your will. Don Francisco said that, no sure where he heard it.
 
Yes, love is a difficult topic, so many see such vastness in the term.
To me a "facet" of love is when you do something for someone, even though it holds you no benefit, or may make you feel that you're going to be worse off, but you do it anyway because it is what that person requires.
Love is not a feeling, it is an act of your will. Don Francisco said that, no sure where he heard it.

I think I know.

C.S. Lewis wrote a book...."The Four Loves "(affection, friendship, romance, and charity-agape)

In that book C.S. Lewis believed that (agape) love is not primarily a matter of feeling but of will.
 
Have this book on my bookshelf - the five love languages for singles.
I have read the married one and know there is a children's one.
So maybe there are really five different kinds or ways to show love. I agree, love is an action.
 
so obviously we can love money...but God wants us to love Him, not money. And we can't serve God AND money, we only deluding ourselves if we do.
 
Oh, yes... The greatest of these... one.

That love for money thingy, it's a biggy in today's world.
I have a good solution if you have that problem - give the money you received away as quickly as possible. hahaha
 
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