Today we embark on long journey of understanding love from the context of God's word and not as has bee misused in the various forms it appears. Love is one of the treasures that is impossible to quantify but can qualified. Every one needs to be loved and there is a feeling that it is difficult to describe in words when you know that you are loved and not only loved but also valued. Jewel when this word is mentioned our minds quickly connect with treasure, value or worth. Indeed a jewel is a precious ornament. Jewels are ornamental in nature and majorly worn for personal adornment. Jewel can be a person who is highly prized. Are you a jewel to somebody or someone? do you have the qualities worthy to be loved?
Love is a jewel. As jewel, love is a basic building block to any cohesive relationship. Your love life (Agape) cannot be primed as strong and attached horizontally if your love life relation wise is skewed. Relation wise here implies family, friends, workmates, neighbours etc. That is why Jesus in 1 John 4.20 says " If any one says i love God yet hates his brother , he is a liar, for any one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God who he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God MUST also love his neigbour". Thus, from the foregoing scripture and these excerpts of the words of Jesus who is the very living word of God, then it must be understood that love is by two ways:-
1. Love by choice and
2. Love by by compulsion
As a believer there are no two ways about it. Our God is a jealous God, Exodus 34.14. He is also a consuming fire, a jealous God, Deuteronomy 4.24. he demands or requires and expects our n-biased attention by anyone. This is why Jesus said in Mathew 6.33 "Seek you first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well". For my prayer to be answered and for me to experience a rewarding relationship, vertically or horizontally, the first choice without batting an eye is to seek the kingdom of God and thoroughly understand the principles of love:
PRINCIPLES OF LOVE
1 Corinthians 13.4-
Love is patient
Love is calm, able to endure pain or any provocation, perseverance, forbearance: quite and self preserved, waiting for something.Politely, this means that love will be called names. True love will be provoked to anger and sometimes unfounded allegations. It therefore means that love has to be practiced everywhere and shown to everyone irrespective of your office, rank or file. Your status in society not withstanding . Patience can only be evidently practiced in relation to who is seated on the throne of our heart. From your stand point who is in-charge of the throne room of your heart? The brother of Jesus says to us that a stream cannot produce both fresh and salty water at the same time, James 3.11. Patience cannot happen selectively. It is a principle and principles cannot be be varied for convenience or otherwise.. The best thing that we can do is to be seen and not just heard practicing patience.
This is what Jesus practiced. Mark 15.15, patience can only be achieved at the level of excellence. in this scripture, Jesus was flogged without slapping someone or even calling on heaven for divine intervention, yet he had the power to do so. They twisted a crown of thorns and put it on his head and Jesus even didn't raise a finger. He was called names, struck on his head. They spat on him and mocked him before leading him to crucifixion square.You have just gone through some tumultuous moments and you believe the whole world should get to know that God does not love you. Beloved, Jesus just wants you to practice. Go out today and shine out for the Lord. The momentarily trials that you are going through cannot be compared with the glory you are yet to received. Patiently do the work of God and believe him to come through for you at his own perfect time. Believe it, Act it and Live it. Hallelujah to the humble lamb of God, the sovereign love himself who teaches us to love even when we struggle to do so.
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