THE
BOOK OF GOD'S PROMISES
Loving
Others
By
J. Stephen Lang
CBN.com
-- Loving other people doesn't mean being "in love" with
everyone. "Warm-fuzzy" love is easy -- until the emotion starts
to fade, that is. But the human love the Bible talks about isn't
just a passing emotional state. It's something based on choice.
We choose to care about another person's welfare, even
if that person has hurt us, called us names, ignored us.
Parents
understand this kind of love, for they keep loving their children
even when the children don't seem to love them back. It is similar
-- but not as steadfast -- as God's love for us. He loves us when
we aren't at all lovable and then commands us to return the favor
-- that is, love other people as he loves us, and make giving, not getting, the goal of our love.
Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love covers all offenses.
Proverbs 10:12
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time
of need.
Proverbs 17:17
"Do for others as you would like them to do for you.
"Do you think you deserve credit merely for loving those who
love you? Even the sinners do that! And if you do good only to
those who do good to you, is that so wonderful? Even sinners do
that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you,
what good is that? Even sinners will lend to their own kind for
a full return.
"Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't
be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from
heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children
of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those
who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father
is compassionate."
Luke 6:31-36
One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by
asking him this question: "Teacher, what must I do to receive
eternal life?"
Jesus replied, "What does the law of Moses say? How do you read
it?"
The man answered, "`You must love the Lord your God with all
your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.'
And, `Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
"Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you will live!"
Luke 10:25-28
Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can
never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will
fulfill all the requirements of God's law. For the commandments
against adultery and murder and stealing and coveting -- and any
other commandment -- are all summed up in this one commandment:
"Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to anyone,
so love satisfies all of God's requirements.
Romans 13:8-10
If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't
love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud
gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and
if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything
about everything, but didn't love others, what good would I be?
And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain
and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody.
If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my
body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would
be of no value whatsoever.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or
proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable,
and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never
glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and
endures through every circumstance.
Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in tongues
and special knowledge will all disappear. For even our special
knowledge is incomplete, and our prophecy is incomplete. But when
the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear.
It's like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned
as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.
Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we
will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now
is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely,
just as God knows me now.
There are three things that will endure -- faith, hope, and love
-- and the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of
God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.
We know we love God's children if we love God and obey his commandments.
1 John 5:1-2
The Book of God's Promises -- Copyright, 1999 by J.
Stephen Lang. All rights reserved, used with permission.
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