the love of god

The natural human kind of love is a selfish kind of love, it is possessive by nature.  Some folks live and grow in a home where there is no resemblance of love.  Others live in homes that have varying degrees of love.  No matter how you were raised you will need to learn the God kind of love.
 
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love endures with patience and is kind, it is not jealous.  Love is not rude or arrogant.  It is not self-seeking, not easily angered, does not carry a grudge.  Does not celebrate injustice, loves the truth.  Love believes all things and always looks for the best in everyone. 
 
God had to define what love is because it cannot be based on a feeling.  We must practice love whether we feel like it or not, it is not a natural born trait in any man.  Love is the fundamental respect we have for our fellow man regardless of how we “feel”.  Jesus loves all sinners but He still came to die for us, He knew we were powerless to help ourselves.  God commands us to love all men and He knows we cannot obey Him because our nature has been affected by demonic powers.
 
Romans 5:5 The love of God is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is a gift given to us at the new birth.
 
All born-again Christians have the love of God abiding within them.  We can let it flow out or we can suppress it, either way we will reap what we sow.  Christians who want to please their Savior will use every gift God gives them to bring Him glory.  God will never tell us to do something we are not able to perform, He would be unjust to leave us powerless.
 
John 13:34 A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
 
So, now do we have eleven commandments?  No, we do not!  God gave Moses the ten commandments, whoever kept them would walk in love.  The ten commandments are far more than a bunch of dos and don’ts, they are an occasion to love one another.  So, what Jesus is saying here is this: if you love one another you will keep or fulfill all ten of the commandments. 
 
Galatians 5:6 In Christ neither circumcision or uncircumcision availeth anything; but faith which works by love.
 
Faith is believing God and then speaking what God says.  Anybody could capitalize on this principle, even sinners and those seeking revenge.  But if faith isn’t founded in love it won’t work, thank God.
 
Love is the desire to benefit others, at the expense of self.  Selfishness is the desire to benefit self at the expense of others.

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