METHOD: Word searches
in the Bible on the word ‘love’ and then I compiled this list, chronologically.
OBSERVATION:
·
God speaks through Prophets about Himself. These prophets testifies about the unfailing
love of God: Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Job, King David, Isaiah,
Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Zaphaniah· God also testifies Himself through His disciples: Matthew, John, Paul, Peter
· Words that goes together with the love of God: unfailing, faithful, merciful, endures forever, slow to anger, truth, no bounds, corrects
· God expresses His unfailing love not just through the mouth of Christ, but it had been there since the beginning of time, even in the very first book of the scriptures.
DISCUSSION: After
reading these passages, does it invigorate you to know that our God loves you
that much? It is a Crazy Love! As we truly search our world views and our hearts
and examine our ways, do we truly believe in the possibility to be loved by our
creator this much? Do we forget that a
true relationship exist between our God and us in each moment of the day? Just like there is a strong bond of relationship
and love exist between you and your family or friends, even when you don’t see
them or get to be with them for extended periods of time. When you don’t see your loved ones, does it
mean that they don’t exist? Does it mean
that your love for them or their love for you disappears? How much more so do we treat God this way? It is not crazy to talk to an invisible
God. It is not crazy to believe in an
eternity. To love God gives us the
capacity to love others and to have hope.
How does a human get the idea of self-sacrificial love? Where did that model come from? Why do you sacrifice yourselves to love
other? Would you sacrifice yourselves to
other if you get nothing in return? Why
would anyone do that? Without God, we merely
exist. Only the ‘present’ matters. What would be the point of eternity? What would be the point of learning from the
past? Without God’s perfect love, wrong-doing
only matters to the eyes of the victims; and injustice and lawlessness becomes
debatable. Man, I am just so jazzed
about what I am reading in the scriptures below. Please don’t trust my words… Go read it for
yourselves! What do you think?
My desire is that God will make you very uncomfortable with
yourself in order to spark a lifetime of curiosity to look for Him more and more in
our world. One thing I do request of you: I beg you, do not turn off your mind and your heart to God's Word.
[--- Read on if you are intrigued ---]
[God sets up a model of sacrificial love and
tells us what we must do]
1.
Genesis
22:2 “Take your son, your only
son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go
and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will
show you.”2. Exodus 34:6 The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
3. Leviticus 19:18 “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
4. Deuteronomy 6:5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
5. Deuteronomy 10:18 He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.
[God reveals His
faithful love]
6.
2
Chronicles 7:3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire
coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord
filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised
the Lord, saying, “He is good! His faithful love
endures forever!”7. Nehemiah 9:17 But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them
8. Job 10:12 You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love. My life was preserved by your care.
9. Psalm 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.
10. Psalm 40:11 Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
11. Psalm 40:16 But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
12. Psalm 57:10 For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
13. Psalm 59:17 O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.
14. Psalm 85:10 Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!
15. Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
16. Psalm 103:8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
17. Psalm 136. His faithful love endures forever.
18. Psalm 147:11 No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.
19. Isaiah 30:18 So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.
20. Isaiah 43:4 Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.
21. Isaiah 54:10 For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you.
22. Jeremiah 3:19 “I thought to myself, ‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’ I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land— the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me.
23. Jeremiah 9:24 But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!
24. Lamentations 3:22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.
25. Lamentations 3:32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
26. Ezekiel 16:8 And when I passed by again, I saw that you were old enough for love. So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.
27. Daniel 9:4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands.
28. Hosea 14:4 The Lord says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever.
29. Zephaniah 3:17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
30. Matthew 5:44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
[Transition point in
scripture: from God expressing His ‘unfailing love’ to His love taking human
form]
31.
John
1:14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full
of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the
glory of the Father’s one and only Son.32. John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.
33. John 13:34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
34. John 14:23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.
35. John 15:13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
36. Romans 5:5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
37. Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
38. Romans 8:35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
39. Romans 8:38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
40. Romans 8:39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[This is what we must
do with God’s love]
41.
Romans
12:9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.
Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.42. Romans 12:10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
43. 1 Corinthians 2:9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
44. 1 Corinthians 16:14 And do everything with love.
45. Galatians 5:13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
46. Ephesians 4:2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
47. Ephesians 4:16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
48. Colossians 3:14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
49. 1 Thessalonians 3:12 And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.
50. 1 Thessalonians 4:9 But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.
51. 1 Timothy 1:5 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.
52. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
53. 2 Timothy 2:22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
54. 1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.
55. 1 Peter 4:8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
56. 1 John 3:16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
57. 1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.
58. 1 John 4:8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
59. 1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
60. 1 John 4:16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
61. 1 John 4:18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.
62. 1 John 4:19 We love each other because He loved us first.
63. Revelation 3:19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
[--- The ‘Love’ Chapter ---]
1 Corinthians 13
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[c] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
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