What is Agape (pronounced: agápē) Love? I asked the Lord the same thing after He told me that He was Agape Love. It was something that I wanted to understand on a deeper level. It was something that I had to understand. If God took enough time to tell me that He was this specific kind of love, it was beneficial for me to understand it, to understand the God who loves me more than I'll ever realize. Eventually, I came to see that this love can only come from our Heavenly Father. It's love beyond our understanding, but it's the love that God has for us.
According to some internet searches, I was right in my belief. Here's one definition that backed up what God was leading me to understand: Agape is used by Christians to express the unconditional love of God for His children.
But is that enough? I think we must understand what love is to understand agape.
Love is deep affection for other people. It doesn't have to be sexual love, and it certainly isn't lust. Love means caring about someone, willing to do anything for that person, and making sure that they are being taken care of, that they aren't suffering.
But love is deeper than this. GOD is love. (1 John 4:8)
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
God understands love like we could never understand it. I think a mother's love is close to God love because they gave birth to that child, and since God created us, it has to be a similar love. But, still, I believe the way God loves is much deeper. Why?
Because of John 3:16.
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.
God watched His Son die, so that we may live. Would you willingly give up your child? Even if it meant saving the world? I don't think I could do that. I don't think that I'd be able to sacrifice someone so precious to me, yet God did.
So we see that because God loves us, He gave us the most precious gift in the world, eternal salvation through sacrificing His only Son.
But that's not the only gift that God has given us. He has given us His grace (unmerited favor) through His Son.
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)
Remember, God is love. Because He is love, He turns curses to blessings! Which ties in to grace because through grace we get these blessings. (Deuteronomy 23:5) Also, read Deuteronomy 28 if you want to know the blessings you'll get just from loving God back and obeying His commandments! This will also give you an idea of the curses He's turned to blessings!
but
the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord
your God loves you.
See, this article isn't even long enough to describe just how much God loves us. Because when we try to break it down, it's impossible to count the ways that God (Agape Love) has shown us His love. What about when you were down and depressed, and He lifted you back up? Or when He gave you that job you were praying for? Or when He healed you? Or how about when you did absolutely nothing deserving of love, but He gave it to you anyway?
If God can love us unconditionally, no matter how many stupid mistakes we make, why can't we love others the same way? If this agape love is burning inside of us (It is because we've accepting God as savior.), then why can't we look at that person who hurt us and forgive them for doing whatever it was they did?
God is agape love. When we know God, we have His love inside of us. We have the ability to show God's love to others, but are we doing enough? We certainly aren't doing what He's doing, and we'll never be the kind of love God is, but we have enough of it inside of us to show others what true love really is. God.
God loved us enough to send His Son to earth with the whole purpose to die. Die. Can you imagine that being your only purpose for being alive? Could you imagine being the father or mother who knew that your child was doomed to die from the moment they were born, knowing that you could stop it, but you wouldn't? Because that would ruin everything. That would be the end of forgiveness, grace and mercy as you knew it, but God loved us enough to not to stop it. He loved us enough to watch His child DIE. He watched a part of Himself die just so that we, humans, could live. Is that the love running through you today? Of course it is, but what are we doing with this love?
I'm not saying it's easy because it's not. We let our emotions rule us, but when you think about all that God is, all that God does, shouldn't we at least try to love like our Father? Like the one who would do anything to show us that He does love us?
Agape love is deeper than the love we know, but we can tap into it. We have access to that love because God is love, and He's living within us. What more can we do today to show that love to others?
Showing posts with label agape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label agape. Show all posts
Monday, March 16, 2015
Friday, February 6, 2015
God Will Not Forsake You. (There's Nothing Wrong With Being Single)
With Valentine's Day just a few short (or painfully long) days away, it's easy for people to get caught up in the romance of the holiday. If you're single, it's easy to want to take cupid's arrow and throw it back at him. There's one thing I know to be true, though. At times, being single isn't easy, and it's even harder when it feels like everyone around you is happy and in love.
Sometimes, being single is a choice, and even though I'm currently choosing to be single right now (not actively seeking a boyfriend), it's still hard to be alone. What's harder, though, is when people make singleness out to be a disease, or they don't think about what they're saying when they bring up couples in church, etc. and basically forgetting that it hurts those of us single by choice or widowed or divorced to think that, "We don't have anyone to hold hands with and pray or worship with." People don't think about the fact that singling out couples hurts some of who aren't part of a couple.
It's also our job, as the single person, to not let it hurt us. We need to learn to lean on The One who loves us so much more than any human can. It's important for us to remember that there's nothing wrong with being single.
I'll repeat that.
There's absolutely NOTHING WRONG with being single.
To understand what I'm about to say, I have to set up the setting. I live with two couples, my mom and dad and my sister and brother-in-law. I have five nieces and nephews, and we all live in one house while my sister and her family work on building a new place to live. The reason I still live here is because I HATE being alone. I can't stand being by myself. I tried living alone, and I despised it. So, I moved back home while I get my life situated. But, even in a house full of people, when I hate being alone, I still feel lonely.
There's a difference between being alone and being lonely, I believe, because as humans we definitely crave companionship from someone who loves us unconditionally.
Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in feeling like no one ever sees me, understands me, or even loves me. Sometimes I think that I'll be alone my whole life, but that's not true. In the midst of my pain, God spoke these words to me, "I will not forsake you."
Keeping that in mind, I tried to remember that although it's, at time, lonely to be single, just imagine what would happen if we took things into our own hands and didn't wait on God to send the right person into our lives. That could be a disastrous situation, so I've come to accept the fact that it's my job to wait on God to send the right person to me, that we'll meet in our God-ordained time. Personally, I'm not even going to date until God says to.
But, the thing is, you can't make out being married as being better than being single. Singleness is just as much a calling as being married is. There is so much that we can do for the Lord as a single that married people can't do. I'm tired of hearing people talk about being single like it's the plague.
Even the apostle Paul said, "But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am." (1 Corinthians 7:8) If you read the entire chapter, you'll see that he's talking about being single. It's not a commandment of God; it's a suggestion from a man who lived for God.
Why is it good to remain single according to Paul?
You're free from care. (1 Corinthians 7:32-33)
If you're married, you're more concerned with your husband or wife and making them happy instead of focusing on God. Paul wanted everyone to be free from distractions to serve the Lord.
Am I saying that if you're married you can't serve the Lord? Of course not. I'm telling you that Paul thought it was more beneficial to be single, without the distractions of trying to please a husband or wife and focusing on them instead of the Lord.
I think we single ladies and gentlemen would be better off focusing our time on the Lord right now than worrying about finding a mate.
It's important to remember that God has a plan for each of us, and everything happens in His time, not ours. So, why should we worry about being single when the God with a plan has each of us in His hands? He has ordained each step of our life, and He will continuing doing so until we step into what He has for us.
I just want the single men and women out there who are lonely to know that the God of the universe is watching over them and protecting them. He wants them to know that He'll never leave them nor forsake them. (Hebrews 13:5)
God should always be our first love, our first leader, and our Father. He is a friend who "sticketh closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24) He loves us; He cares for us; and gives us our hearts' desires. I'm not alone, and neither are you.
God loves you, and He will never leave you nor forsake you.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
Sometimes, being single is a choice, and even though I'm currently choosing to be single right now (not actively seeking a boyfriend), it's still hard to be alone. What's harder, though, is when people make singleness out to be a disease, or they don't think about what they're saying when they bring up couples in church, etc. and basically forgetting that it hurts those of us single by choice or widowed or divorced to think that, "We don't have anyone to hold hands with and pray or worship with." People don't think about the fact that singling out couples hurts some of who aren't part of a couple.
It's also our job, as the single person, to not let it hurt us. We need to learn to lean on The One who loves us so much more than any human can. It's important for us to remember that there's nothing wrong with being single.
I'll repeat that.
There's absolutely NOTHING WRONG with being single.
To understand what I'm about to say, I have to set up the setting. I live with two couples, my mom and dad and my sister and brother-in-law. I have five nieces and nephews, and we all live in one house while my sister and her family work on building a new place to live. The reason I still live here is because I HATE being alone. I can't stand being by myself. I tried living alone, and I despised it. So, I moved back home while I get my life situated. But, even in a house full of people, when I hate being alone, I still feel lonely.
There's a difference between being alone and being lonely, I believe, because as humans we definitely crave companionship from someone who loves us unconditionally.
Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in feeling like no one ever sees me, understands me, or even loves me. Sometimes I think that I'll be alone my whole life, but that's not true. In the midst of my pain, God spoke these words to me, "I will not forsake you."
Keeping that in mind, I tried to remember that although it's, at time, lonely to be single, just imagine what would happen if we took things into our own hands and didn't wait on God to send the right person into our lives. That could be a disastrous situation, so I've come to accept the fact that it's my job to wait on God to send the right person to me, that we'll meet in our God-ordained time. Personally, I'm not even going to date until God says to.
But, the thing is, you can't make out being married as being better than being single. Singleness is just as much a calling as being married is. There is so much that we can do for the Lord as a single that married people can't do. I'm tired of hearing people talk about being single like it's the plague.
Even the apostle Paul said, "But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am." (1 Corinthians 7:8) If you read the entire chapter, you'll see that he's talking about being single. It's not a commandment of God; it's a suggestion from a man who lived for God.
Why is it good to remain single according to Paul?
You're free from care. (1 Corinthians 7:32-33)
If you're married, you're more concerned with your husband or wife and making them happy instead of focusing on God. Paul wanted everyone to be free from distractions to serve the Lord.
Am I saying that if you're married you can't serve the Lord? Of course not. I'm telling you that Paul thought it was more beneficial to be single, without the distractions of trying to please a husband or wife and focusing on them instead of the Lord.
I think we single ladies and gentlemen would be better off focusing our time on the Lord right now than worrying about finding a mate.
It's important to remember that God has a plan for each of us, and everything happens in His time, not ours. So, why should we worry about being single when the God with a plan has each of us in His hands? He has ordained each step of our life, and He will continuing doing so until we step into what He has for us.
I just want the single men and women out there who are lonely to know that the God of the universe is watching over them and protecting them. He wants them to know that He'll never leave them nor forsake them. (Hebrews 13:5)
God should always be our first love, our first leader, and our Father. He is a friend who "sticketh closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24) He loves us; He cares for us; and gives us our hearts' desires. I'm not alone, and neither are you.
God loves you, and He will never leave you nor forsake you.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
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