In our daily Bible reading, we have no doubt discovered once again that references to God's love or Christ's love occur often. Love is the theme and purpose behind all of God’s Word. We cannot escape it, nor do we want to. The world's idea of love is in reality lust. As Christians, we have come to understand that love gives, but lust takes. God's love is genuine, pure, and unselfish.
In I Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul wrote that we can have eloquent speech, prophetic powers, a mind full of understanding and knowledge, and faith to move mountains, and we can even give all of our possessions to feed the poor and give our bodies to be burned, but without love “it profits nothing” (see I Corinthians 13:1–3).
Genuine love is powerful because it produces action. John 3:16 says that God loved the world so much that He gave. The Scripture cautions us to let genuine love motivate us to good works, not the other way around. It is impossible to find this kind of love within ourselves; it is His love and He produces it in each of us as we surrender to Him.
When Christ perfects His love in us through His Word, our lives will demonstrate the power of Christ’s love.
Lord, perfect Your love in us. Amen.
Love, Karen
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Genuine Love is From God
Labels: Christ's love, God's love
Posted by Karen Brock at 12:14 PM
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2 comments:
Is the second paragraph a quote from a book or something else somewhere? I feel as if I've read that before.
Hi, Eric.
I appreciate so much that you verify before you take something in as fact. I can see by your blogging that the Word of God is important to you, and that you spend your time studying and in research.
Thank you for reading Glorious Church; I am happy to answer your question.
Although the second paragraph is not a direct quotation of 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 in the versions I consulted, it is a pretty accurate summary of the essence, I believe, of what Paul is trying to convey to the church in Corinth.
This Bible study blog has served as an "online outline" of two specific published studies: "Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free" and "A Woman After God's Own Heart." I have taken these books chapter by chapter and outlined them for the benefit of the women studying with me, both for the online community and in my in-home weekly meetings.
The other two specific studies are derived from my personal research into New Testament passages. The first of these is 1 Corinthians 13, and the next is the Gospel of John, Chapter 15.
May the Lord bless you in your seeking after Him!
~~Karen
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