you have put off the old man
with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is
renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
Colossians 3:9-10"Look to Abraham your
father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased
him."
Isaiah 51:2 |
|
I am a new man in Christ
I am a son of the Patriarch Abraham
God is Making Me
Loving
- v.t. In a general sense to be pleased with; to regard with affection, on account of some
qualities which excite pleasing sensations or desire of gratification. We love a
friend, on account of some qualities which give us pleasure in his society. We love
a man who has done us a favor; in which case, gratitude enters into this composition of
our affection.We love our parents an dour children, on account of their connection
with us, and on account of many qualities which please us. We love to retire to a
cool shade in summer. We love a warm room in winter. We love to hear an
eloquent advocate. The Christian loves his Bible. In short, we love whatever
gives us pleasure and delight, whether animal or intellectual; and if our hearts are
right, we love God above all things, as the sum of all excellence and all the
attributes which can communicate happiness to intelligent beings. In other words, the
Christian loves God with the love of complacency in His attributes, the love of
benevolence towards the interests of His kingdom, and the love of gratitude for favors
received.
- Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind.
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Matt xxii.
Webster's 1st ed., 1828
Whatever love there is in man, whether it be toward God or toward his fellowman, has
its source in God—"Love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God,
and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love" (1 Jn 4:7 f);
"We love, because he first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19). Love in the heart of man is
the offspring of the love of God. Only the regenerated heart can truly love as God loves;
to this higher form of love the unregenerate can lay no claim (1 Jn 4:7, 19, 21; 2:7-11;
3:10; 4:11 f). The regenerate man is able to see his fellow-man as God sees him, value him
as God values him, not so much because of what he is by reason of his sin and
unloveliness, but because of what, through Christ, he may become; he sees man’s
intrinsic worth and possibility in Christ (2 Cor 5:14-17). This love is also created in
the heart of man by the Holy Ghost (Rom 5:5), and is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). It
is also stimulated by the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, more than anyone else,
manifested to the world the spirit and nature of true love (Jn 13:34; 15:12; Gal 2:20; Eph
5:25-27; 1 Jn 4:9 f)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
|
|
|
God has given me the spirit of Love. I am long-suffering
and kind; I don't envy those who prosper, I don't pretend to be prospering when I'm not. I
don't exaggerate just to make others look up to me. I am not rude, I don't demand my own
way, and I don't get easily provoked. I don't imagine evil against my enemies, and
don't rejoice when it happens, but I only rejoice in the truth. God enables me to bear
all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things. God has created in
me a commitment to give to others' basic needs without having personal reward as my motive
1 Corinthians 13
|
|
|
And we know that all things work together for good to
those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom
He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He
might be the firstborn among many brethren.
-- Romans 8:28-29 I have remembered Thy Name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept
Thy Law.
-- Psalm 119:55 |