Tag Archives: true love

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What Would You Die For?

Quote - Sacrificial Love[1]

We throw words around so carelessly in the United States. It seems every generation accumulates more slang. (Sometimes I feel like a need a dictionary of slang just to understand what is being written on social media). One word that we love to throw around is the word “love,” pun intended. We love our friends and family, our pets, the deer that run through our back yard. We “love” sunsets, beaches, libraries, and the color green. We “fall in love,” “fall out of love,” and for some “love” is a word they use to get something they want, with no regard for the other person. We even “love” hotdogs, the Packers, that cute new purse, our dog, actors, famous people, our boat, and our home.

So, what do we really mean when we use that word?

I know that there are different types of love. The Bible clearly talks about them. I guarantee you; none of them include love for inanimate objects, food, or clothing. The Bible also tells us that God is love. I think it would be smart to look at Him to see what love really is. What does God love?

Well, He loves people. Good people and bad people. His love isn’t the sappy, fake, shallow love of this world. He loves in a way that has nothing in it for Him. No strings attached. It doesn’t depend on anything, period. Nothing or nobody can change that fact. We can’t even stop it or change it. There are millions of people who don’t love Him, some who haven’t so much as heard of Him, and others have believed the lies told about Him, but He still loves them. Talk about a one-sided love affair. In fact God loved us all so much, when we didn’t love Him, that He sent His Son to die for us.

John 3:16 (NET Bible), “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

The Bible goes on to show us more about this kind of love:
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11 (NIV)

Romans 5:6-8 (NIV), “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 15:13 (NIV), “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

I John 3:16 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English), “By this we know his love toward us, for he gave his Life in our place, and it is right for us that we would give our lives for the sake of our brothers.”

That simplifies the question of what love really is, doesn’t it?

What do you really love?

What would you give your life up for?

Would you die for a hotdog?

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Worldly Love

Worldly love is backwards. Yep, backwards. When we love someone in the natural the more we get to know them, the more intimate we become, the more comfortable we get. The good side is that we can be ourselves. The bad side is that familiarity breeds disrespect. We love our parents, spouses, sibling, children and friends. Most of those we spend at least 18 years living in the same home! We have seen “the good, the bad and the ugly!” Because of that we begin to take them for granted, maybe loose respect and lots of times judge them on their faults, frailties and failures. Hopefully we continue to love (after all love is a CHOICE). God spoke to me this week and said, “Don’t love Me like you love them.” I got the reason why, because worldly love is very shallow and I know He wants more. But I was stumped. Finally I asked Him, how do I love You different than I love my family. (This is where the backwards part comes in), He said, “get more intimate with me”…after that I had the whole “WHAT???” going thru my mind. In His vast patience, He explained. In drawing closer to God, thru prayer, praise, His word, fellowshipping, etc. we get to know Him better. This however can never breed disrespect! There is no “bad and ugly” with Him only the “GOOD!” The more we know Him, the more we respect Him, stand in awe of Him, and the more we want to discover and know about Him. The great part is no matter how long we know Him, we never really know Him. There is more to find out, and we can still be ourselves! In the world, we begin to finish each other’s sentences; can pretty much predict the next word and behavior. Not with God. When you think you have Him figured out, He’ll do something AMAZING! I have decided to do what He has asked, to get to know Him better, but also to try and love “them” the way I love God.

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Book Review for “Steward”

I was given this book by the author, Christopher Shields, for an honest review. LOVED IT! I just finished reading The Steward; I grew up reading fairytales and love them. I now enjoy a good fantasy book (as well as other genres) and this is one of the best I’ve read. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. The author makes his character very real. I loved the main character, Maggie. Like every good ‘fairytale’ it has the ‘true love’ element as well! Did I mention I loved it? Well, I did. I recommend this book for YA and for us adults as well. I give this book 5+ stars.