DO NOT DISTURB your loving

Creflo Dollar (page 50, How to Overcome Hurt) made a vow:

"I simply cannot allow anything anyone says or thinks about me to disturb my peace or disrupt my love walk."

Make that vow today. Don't let anything disturb your peace. Don't let anything disrupt your walking in love today. Because, believe me, everything/anyone will try. Anything can pop your bubble in a moment. Don't let it anything/anyone dissuade you from loving.

Let God's Love Overwhelm You

Creflo Dollar teaches us that self protection is selfishness-based. He says when we "make walking in love our priority and allow the love of God to overwhelm and overtake our lives, fear, selfishness, and hurt have to go." (page 35, How to Overcome Hurt)

I love the thought of letting God's love overwhelm us, overtake us!

Let it be so today!

When that happens, that other stuff (fear, selfishness, etc) just has to go.

Let it be true to you!

Is Love Governing Your Life?

Creflo Dollar reminds us, "God never said we wouldn't go thought things in this life; however, He has commanded us to allow love to be the governing force in our lives. When we allow ourselves to be ruled by hurt feelings, we are not walking in the love of God." (page 25, How to Overcome Hurt)

Is love governing your life? Is love governing your actions and your decisions? Sometimes, it's the other things that we allow to govern our reactions and actions. Today, determine not to let it. Don't let the hurts govern you. Don't let the pain rule over you. Let God's love be sovereign over your choices.

Circumstances, Conditions, & Commitment

"Love goes beyond feelings," Creflo Dollar preached. Pastor Dollar taught that love is not based on conditions, but on a commitment. Is your love determined by conditions or circumstances, or your commitment?

Pastor Dollar reminded us the best place to learn unconditional love is in the home.

Don't leave home without learning that lesson. Your feelings are secondary to your commitment.

Arguing and Loving

"You've got to figure out how to have your arguments and still come out loving." Creflo Dollar

What great advice. Isn't this part of the problem? Learning how to have disagreements, and still love the person. On the other side of the discussion, even if heated, we always need to love the other person.

Thankful for enduring Love

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever. I Chr 16:34

Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever. I Chr 16:41

Gave thanks to the Lord, saying, "He is good; His love endures forever. II Chr 7:3

Gave thanks saying, "His love endures forever." II Chr 7:6

Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever. II Chr 20:21

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:1

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:29

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever. Jer 33:11

I think it's clear: Give God thanks. His love endures forever.

Start your thanksgiving now. Let your thanksgiving be endless, because His love is.

Offering Thanks for Love

II Corinthians 9:15-Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Ephesians 5:20-Giving thanks always for all things to God

I Thes 3:9-For what thanks can we render to God?

His indescribable gift is love. We should always be thankful. What thanks can you offer for love?

The Wonder of Love

Second Samuel captures the words of David: "Your love for me was wonderful..." (1:26)

Love is not just for lovers, but also for friends and family members.

I wonder how many people around you think your love for them is wonderful.

How often do you ponder the wonder and wonderment of someone loving you?

Are you responsible for your love?

Since the title of this blog is "Responsibility to Love," I started to ponder the meaning of "responsibility." The definitions I found included: answerable or accountable for something within one's power; reliable; dependable. The word comes from the root of "response" which is to answer.

It's good to remind ourselves we are answerable. We are accountable. It is within our power, to love. Our love should be reliable and dependable. Love should be our response. It's how we should answer, with love.

Teaching Love

Titus 2 contains instructions to men and women. Titus reminds us at the beginning of the chapter and it's end that we must teach (verse 1) and should teach (verse 15) what is sound, good. The older should teach the younger. We need to help each other. I just realized that when it says the older women should teach the younger women "to love their husbands and children," that it infers we need to learn to love, it may not be "natural." It may not come naturally to you. You may need some instruction from someone older and wiser. You may need to seek counsel. Or you may need to take the initiative and help a younger novice. Either way, we need to learn the ways of love.

The Eyes and Words of the Lover

When Song of Solomon describes his beloved in chapter 7 you can tell he really loves her.

He thinks everything about her is beautiful. Verse 6 captures it: "How beautiful you are and how pleasing, O love, with your delights!" He exclaims this (exclamation mark, not period). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What do you see of your beloved? What do you tell them?

Do My Words Reflect Love?

Nancy Leigh DeMoss says, "Your speech should reflect I Corinthians 13 love."

Oh, that's a scarey thought! I know I'm falling short.

Verse 1: Do I speak with tongues of angels?

Verse 4: Does my speech reflect patience, or impatience?

Verse 4: Are my words kind? Haughty?

Verse 5: Have I been rude? Am I self serving in my words?

Verse 5: How easily am I provoked into words I shouldn't speak?

Verse 5: Do evil words slip into my vocabulary?

Verse 11: Do I talk like a child or an adult?

Encouragement another name for Love

Nancy Leigh DeMoss says, "Encouragement...is a synonym for love in action."

How is your love in action today? How are you encouraging the people you love?

Is your love in action today encouraging those around you? If not, why not?

I Thes 5:11 - Encourage one another and build each other up

Hebrews 3:13 - Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today

Love is the fulfillment of the Law

Romans 13:10 concludes with ..."love is the fulfillment of the law." I started contemplating what the law was and represents. Can we agree that the law represents what we should do to be "good people" or people in right standing with God. If there is a law giver, and that law giver is God, He knows what is good for us. He knows how we should act. He knows what will make us happier. He knows how we can better live with each other. Laws keep our societies running smoothly for all people. They tell us we can't kill each other, or steal their stuff, or drive that fast around that corner. It tells us when to stop at red lights, so others can go through without interference. It all works when we all abide. So, I now I read that love is the fulfillment of what is good for me and other people. Love is the fulfillment of what is right. A fresh new way to look at "love is the fulfillment of the law."

Not doing can be showing love

Romans 13:9 says if we don't commit adultery, if we don't murder, if we don't steal, if we don't lie-or bear false witness, if we don't covet...if we don't do these things - we will have loved! Isn't that amazing? Not doing certain things, such as those listed above, shows love. So much of how we show love, is by what we don't do. What should you not do today?

Love All. Serve All.

Since it's that eating time of year...Hard Rock Cafe also has a motto that includes love: "Love All, Serve All." Isn't it great? Where you sit and see the signs, it reminds you the employees are empowered to love and serve all. Wouldn't it be great if everyone did? Empower yourself. Direct yourself: Love All. Serve All.

Live, Love, Eat

This is in the entrance to Wolfgang Puck's Restaurant at Disney Village. It reads: Live Love Eat. It is also the title to his cookbook. He claims it's his motto. Living, loving, eating...it sounds like the cycle of life.

Live today. Love those around you. Eat and enjoy the sweetness of life.

Loving in the Spirit

Using Colossians 1:8's conclusion: "love in the Spirit," Sam Storm says that "points us yet again to the divine origin of this affection. It is a God-given love, one that cannot be cranked up or willed into existence by human grit and determination." (page 43, The Hope of Glory) This reminds us we cannot clench our teeth and pull up our boot straps and just do it. No, we must rely on a greater source than our wills, His Spirit. The Bible says God is Spirit (John 4:24). It only makes sense then, that love is spirit and depends on Spirit.

Loving From Grace

Sam Storms in The Hope of Glory says love "is ultimately the work of divine grace in our hearts."

(page 42)

Isn't it great to think of grace having it's way in our hearts and thus producing love.

Let grace work its way in your heart today.

Loving Strangers

Romans 8:13 calls us to hospitality. My notes described this as "pursuing the love of strangers." (page 79, Romans, John MacArthur). What a description of hospitality, pursuing people we don't know with love! Pursue them today with love, be hospitable!

Love in Honor

A section of Romans 8:10 says "love, in honor giving preference to one another." It just struck me, the words "love - in honor." How do we honor others with our love? How is honor involved with our love? Do we really show preference for the other? If we do, this honors them, and brings honor to the relationship.

How's Your Love Life?

When someone asks how "your love life is," we deduce they are referring to our romantic or sex life. But the quality of our life is tied to the quality of our love. How can we reduce love to just two qualities? If your life is full of love, your love life is full. Be full. Be fulfilled. Enhance your love life, and maybe someone else's.

What Matters in the End

Number 38 on the list of life's lessons was: ALL THAT TRULY MATTERS IN THE END IS THAT YOU LOVED. This is how Regina Brett, at 90, said it in the Plains Dealer of Cleveland, Ohio. I don't know if it is true or not. But the lesson certainly is. Think about it. What really matters in the end?

One Question

There's only one question today: How are you going to love?

How are you going to love them in this situation?

How are you going to love through this discomfort?

How are you going to love over all the distractions?

Impairing Love

"When our hope is diminished, our love is impaired." My pastor said this.

How true this is. When we lose hope, there is no place for love in our hearts. It is filled with doom and doubt. So don't let doom and despair take over your heart. That's easy to do today, just watch the news. Save your heart for love. It needs all the room your heart has.

What Hinders Love & What Doesn't

"It is not heavenlimindedness that hinders love.

It is worldlimindedness that hinders love."

(page 37, The Hope of Glory, Sam Storms)

Thinking of good things. Thinking of heaven. Being other-world minded is not an obstacle to love. Being inundated by the things of the world will load us up and weigh us down and keep us from being free to love others. Free yourself of the binds that restrain you from loving others.

John Piper went on to say: "When religious people fail to love, it is not because they have fallen in love with heaven, but because they are still in love with the world." (page 38, IBID)

Love is the Fruit of Hope

To put it another way, John Piper said "The fruit of Hope is Love." (Sermon 07/13/86)

He said, "hope bears the fruit of love." (page 37, The Hope of Glory, Sam Storms)

Hope when it is ripe, produces love. Hope when it is full manifest love.

We need hope for our love to grow.

Hope is something we can't see. But, love is something we can hold.

Hope as the basis for Love

"Hope is the basis for faith and love." (page 33, The Hope of Glory, Sam Storms)

To say it another way, he said, "hope produces faith and love." (IBID)

Hope is fertile soil for faith and love to grow and mature.

It takes hope to live a life of enduring love and expectant joy.

Let hope reign in your life to produce great fruits.

Love is a Personal Passion & a Commitment

Sam Storms in his book, The Hope of Glory, says, "both faith and love are personal, they are hardly private and certainly never secret. They are visible and vocal in their expression." (page 30) He goes on to say, "Love is certainly a personal passion, a commitment of the heart. But Jesus declared that the tangible expression of affection for one another would be the hallmark by which the world would know that we are his disciples (John 13:35). True love is something seen and known by others." (page 31)

How is your faith and love visible today?

How is your personal passion and commitment of your heart being expressed?