Making Life Count by Lester Sumrall

Author:Lester Sumrall
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Christian Life, Christianity, Religion, General, Wisdom, Pentecostal & Charismatic
ISBN: 9780840759887
Publisher: T. Nelson
Published: 1985-06-23T22:00:00+00:00

6

How to Love Deeply

There is a "secret" to successful, happy living of which many people are unaware, yet it is quite simple. The secret is this: people who love deeply succeed. Do you love your job? Do you love your family? Do you love God?

Deep love is not easy to find or feel. Many people love shallowly and lose the respect and devotion of their families and friends. Many people do not know how to love deeply, yet deep love is exactly what they need most. By learning how to love deeply, they can be changed forever. In this chapter we will look at biblical examples of deep love and gain insight into what love is and what it takes to live a life of love.

Remember that God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to forgive our sins, and Jesus loved us so much that He died on the cross for us. In John 13:35 Jesus said about love, "By this all will know that you are My disciples. " We can identify disciples of Jesus Christ by their love for one another. If you believe that you are a disciple, but you do not love your neighbor, you are not recognizable as a disciple of Christ.

If it were necessary for you to sum up Christianity in one word, would you choose the word love?

If you were to choose another word, perhaps you are confused about the word love because of the many shades of meaning it can express and the frequency with which it

is used. Discovering the true meaning of love is both a challenge and a commitment. The most challenging call ever issued comes from Jesus, who said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you" (John 13:34). Thus, the kingdom of God within each of us is a kingdom of love, not only for those who love us in return but also for strangers and enemies.

What Is Love?

According to 1 Corinthians 13, the famous love passage, love is selflessness. When we love others, we put their concerns before ours and care about their welfare before our own. Our love for one another is the truest testimony that we believe God loves us.

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul wrote, "Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ" (v. 3:5). You do not come into the love of God by accident, but by listening to the Lord and allowing Him to direct your path. Christ will manifest Himself in you if you allow Him to and are patient.

There are many feelings we call "love," but true love is divine and is wholly different from friendship and from love based on desires of the flesh. It is unconditional: "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). We are imperfect and love imperfectly, but God loved us before we were loving Him.

The first letter

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