Who Is Love?

1^st John 4:8
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
John 4:16
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

How Does God Love Us?

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 15:13
13 Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Ephesians 1:4-5
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
John 4:7-10
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

How Are We Commanded To Love?

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have a love for one another.”
John 15:12-14
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends.14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

How Should We Love One Another?

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
1 John 3:14-24
14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother[a] abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in the tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know[b] that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us[c] commandment.
1 John 5:1-3
5 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

How Should Husbands and Wives Love One Another

21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.[a]
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body,[b] of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Love Your Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor[b] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,[c] 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren[d] only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors[e] do so?48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Romans 12:14
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Romans 12:17-21
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”[a] says the Lord. 20 Therefore

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Savor Every Moment
Yesterday my daughter drove me to a doctor’s appointment. As I rode in the car the sunshine was beaming through the windows on my face, and it felt absolutely wonderful.  The weather was perfect!  It was about 78 degrees out, and it was just a glorious day.  Even though the air conditioner was on, I took a moment and rolled down my window just to breathe in the fresh air. I wanted to take it all in. I didn’t want to miss a single thing about yesterday.  A few of the trees have started to change colors here, and the timing is perfect because it was also the first day of Fall. Fall is absolutely by far, my favorite time of year.  I was careful to look at the gorgeous trees and the beautiful clear blue sky, as we drove by.   I enjoyed looking at what the Master Artist was creating.  When I see days like yesterday where the weather is just absolutely perfect, I see it totally as a gift from God. Of course, we know that every day is a gift from God, but I think days like that, are considered a special gift from God.

So after getting back from the doctor’s office and taking a short nap, I decided to continue my self-care time by resting in my comfy chair. While sitting there, I decided to scroll through Facebook to see what was going on.  And that’s when my day took a turn.  I saw that a friend that I had not spoken to within about three years, had passed away from pneumonia at only 46 years of age.  Needless to say, I was totally shocked!   Her husband is now left to raise their only child who is about 8 years of age.

Last night as I thought of her, and how she enjoyed traveling, decorating her home beautifully, going to concerts, riding motorcycles with her husband, and oh let’s not forget shopping for the most gorgeous of clothes for she and her daughter, I was happy that she had lived a very full life in her short 46 years.  I was happy that she had not put a thing on hold.  She absolutely loved being a mom and a wife. She loved cooking from scratch and trying new recipes.   She struggled with some health issues, so she always prepared very healthy meals, for her and her family. Her husband absolutely adored her, and the feeling was so mutual.

I thought of her most of the night.  I remember hearing that death is for the living, and I can truly say that an unexpected death gets our attention like nothing else. It causes us to go deep in thought and to reflect.  Last night as I laid in bed, I remember thanking God for my day.   After hearing such sad news about my friend, I was so glad that going to the doctor was not just another ride in the car, but I was truly glad that I had savored every moment of my ride. Going forward I want to really be present and alert as I go through my day.  I don’t want to just go through the motions, I want to enjoy each day that God gives me. I want to thank Him for allowing me to open my eyes to each new day. I want to savor every experience.   I want to be present in every moment.  Ladies I don’t want to miss a thing!

We all know that we will leave this earth one day. What we don’t know is when or how, and that’s one of the mysteries of death. But be clear, death is certain!  So I encourage you to live a full life starting today. Don’t put the things that you want to do on hold. Figure out a way to do the things that are important to you or that you are passionate about.  Don’t assume that you have time.  As you start this process, start with time with God each and every day. Pray for His divine favor over your life.  Ask Him to remind you to slow down and savor every moment.  Even when life is hard, and those days will come, trust God and try to savor your day anyway.  Don’t let the enemy steal your joy. Remember there is a blessing in every day, even the hard days.

Ecclesiastes 12:1

12 Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”