Examine

"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates

Examine today your love life.

Examine how you give love.

Examine how you receive love.

Now is a good time to think of how you can be a better lover of life and others.

Love & Persistence

"The art of love is largely the art of persistence." Albert Ellis

Just being there...just still being there...you can frame that as love.

Persistence is the tenacity to still be there, when others are gone, when you don't agree, when you don't feel well, when you don't have the energy. Persistence, like love, is still being there.

Be there for someone today. Persist, love does.

But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:25)

Love Came Down

I heard a hymn sang at Christmas: Love Came Down At Christmas. (Christina Rosetti, 1830-1894)

The words read:

Love came down at Christmas,

Love all lovely, love divine;

Love was born at Christmas,

Stars and angels gave the sign.

The second verse had a phrase I liked: Love incarnate, love divine.

Love came down and it never left. Look for love today. Let it be apparent.

Love to Love

"We don't love to be loved; we love to love." Leo Buscaglia

Love to love, what a great thought.

Make it your heart's desire...not to be loved, but to give love.

Give it away today - with no thought of return.

But, be careful, what you give away, make come back around to you.

Love loving!

Need or Desire?

"A baby is born with a need to be loved - and never outgrows it." Frank Howard Clark

That's what Frank Clark said. Are you born with an inbred need for love? They say babies need nurture, cuddling...love. They thrive better. Their mortality rate is better. I think we can all agree, we need love. If we all need love, then we never outgrow that need. We don't grow beyond it. We don't become mature, and no longer desire it. You always need it. You never outgrow it.

It's a non-negotiable. It's a done deal. Just because you don't have something, doesn't mean you don't need it.

Cultivate Love

"Love does not dominate; it cultivates." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Christ did not come to conquer but to love.

He came to cultivate as He spoke to people about a sower sowing seeds. He wanted to cultivate a garden of people, not lock them up in rules and regulations. God started mankind in a garden, and He cultivated them there. Think of God, and Love, as cultivating...trying to grow up seeds, trying to prune back wayward branches. He just needs good soil. Be receptive to cultivation. Let Him till your heart's soil. Be an environment that is receptive to cultivation, especially love!

Immanuel

"For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given,

And the government will be upon His shoulders.

And His name will be called ~

WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE."

(Isaiah 9:6)

Isaiah prophesied this around 700 years before Christ birth, which we mark this day. It doesn't mean He was born on this particular day. But, it reveals that the historical person documented in so many nation's records was born, and it was prophesied. It's a mighty thing to comprehend. His name (also prophesied in Isaiah 7:14) tells it all, "Immanuel," meaning God with us. If God is Love as I John 8 tells us, then Love is with us. I John 4:16 went on to say, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." Immanuel. God be with us.

Anticipation

Anticipation...

It's Christmas Eve...we anticipate what is to come.

It's a lot like love. Anticipate it. It is there. It is coming. It is worth waiting on. It is worth rejoicing over. Let the birth of Christ in a stable in Bethlehem remind you of the birth of love. It may come where you least expect it. It may not be in the form/package you expected it. But, it is delivered from on high, with great plans. Meet it with great anticipation. And, be like the angels and rejoice (Luke 2:13), and praise God (Luke 2:14). Be like the shepherds and tell others (Luke 2:17). Be like Mary and ponder these marvels in your heart (Luke 2:19).

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

(Romans 8:19)

Grace sounds a lot like Love

"Grace, my friends, demands nothing from us but that we shall await it with confidence and acknowledge it in gratitude. Grace, brothers, makes no conditions and singles out none of us in particular; grace takes us all to its bosom and proclaims general amnesty." (from Babette's Feast)

Feast on that. Grace sounds an awful lot like love: Await it with confidence. Acknowledge it with gratitude. Be freed by it.

Bravery

"Fortune and love favor the brave." Ovid

It takes bravery, sheer guts, to love.

You have to risk to gain.

How can you be brave today?

Love & Joy

"Joy in the Lord can never be according to our love, nor indeed according to anything in us. It must ever be according to our faith. Many persons make a great mistake; they try to find in their love to Jesus a ground for their joy. Try it the other way; seek the ground for your joy in His love to you..." (page 244, Our Lord Prays For His Own, Marcus Rainsford)

John 17:13 - that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves

John 15:11 - that My job may be in you and that your joy may be complete

Neh 8:10 - The joy of the Lord is their strength

Matt 25:21 - Enter into the joy of the Lord

Heb 12:2 - Christ for the joy set before Him, endured the cross...

Love & Beauty

"Love is the beauty of the soul." St. Augustine

Everyone wants to be beautiful. But we look to the hair dresser, the cosmetic counter, or the department store. The most beautiful thing about you can be your soul, your spirit.

The first thing that hits me about a person is their spirit.

Today, work on your spirit, your soul. It needs your attention.

Prov 31:30- ...Beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised

I Peter 3:3- Your beauty should not come from outward adornment...

4- Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle & quiet

spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight

Stop Vindicating, Start Loving

"O Lord, deliver me from the lust of always vindicating myself." St. Augustine

I think if we can learn this lesson, we will be better at loving.

Trying to explain, trying to defend, all seem pointless in the realm of love.

Restrain yourself from making yourself look better, by defending or explaining.

Instead, accept humility and find ways to make the other person look, or at least feel better.

Loveable?

"If you want to be loved, be loveable." Ovid

It's that simple. It's that divine.

The "if" carries a therefore...BE.

To be or not to be, that is the question, as Shakespeare posed it.

Today, BE LOVING, then you will be loveable.

Free To Love

Galatians 5:13 tells us to use our freedom to love.

How do you use your privilege of freedom?

Most of us use it for ourself.

The Bible teaches us to not use our freedom to self indulge, but to love.

Remind yourself of that today.

Your greatest freedom is to love.

Do you feel like crawling?

"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place." Zora Neale Hurston

What do you need to crawl out? What are you hiding from?

Just know, it is only love that can empower you to "come out."

Don't let anything else drive you out, such as fear or anger.

Because then when we "come out," it's not so pretty.

When love draws you out, it is a beautiful thing.

Fear & Love Do Not Coexist

"Fear will melt in the presence of love." Creflo Dollar

Fear and love can't coexist. It reminds me of the angel speaking to Mary about her upcoming birth, "Don't be afraid." (Luke 1:30) And again with the birth of the Christ child, appearing to the shepherds and telling them, "Don't be afraid." (Luke 2:10)

I've heard it's the most often commandment found in the Bible.

There's got to be a message there. Fear Not. Love.

Authority, Power & God's love

"Authority and power comes from the love of God." Creflo Dollar

Have you ever thought of your authority as flowing from the love of God? I haven't.

Authority and power is a gift from above, and we should use it with and for the love of God.

Time & Love

"Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity."

Henry Van Dyke

This time of year when Christmas is too slow, and the year end is too swiftly coming, it's a good time to reflect on what time does to you.

How is time for you? My hope is that you are living in eternity.

Kingdom Power

"Money is the world's power. Love is the Kingdom's power." Creflo Dollar

Use your Kingdom power today: LOVE.

The currency of the world may be money. But, the power and currency of God and eternity, is in love. Dispense some today.

Know Love

Maya Angelou who was abused as a little girl, concludes it is love that matters:

"Not mush, not sentimentality, not even indulgence, but love...The only way we can heal and grow hearty is if we know love." (AARP, The Magazine, Jan/Feb 2011, page 57)

This coming from an eighty two year old lady who was suffered and achieved over a full life.

We can learn from her. If we want to heal and grow, we need to know love.

Loving ≠ Losing

"'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

Alfred Lord Tennyson

One of the great quotes by Tennyson.

One of the great quotes of all times.

One of the great quotes for you to know.

Don't be discouraged. Realize the privilege of love, even if it is lost.

Criticism ≠ Love

We need to remind ourselves that criticism does not equal love. When you are criticizing, stop and ask yourself, "Are you loving?" If you want to love, stop criticizing and start helping, or praying, or being quiet! You decide, but chose not to criticize and chose to love instead!

It's That Time of Year

Kelly inspired me today. She said she was using her check out experience at the counter, during this busy shopping time, to love. She was making a determination that she would not "use" the check out person as a utilitarian check point, but a time to love a random human being. What a great idea! Use the moments you are checking out to focus on that person and give them love. Don't just use them as a means to an end, but as a special focused random loving moment with a stranger.

The Enemy is the Problem

Have you figured out that love has an enemy?
"The devil does not want you to love." Those words by Creflo Dollar startled me into reality.
The devil will do anything to keep you from loving.
Don't be surprised by this. Everyday something will try to get in the way of your loving.
You have an enemy. But be encouraged, you also have the answer: LOVE through it all.
Maybe you can't do it on your own, but you can through His Spirit, through His strength.

The Answer is Love

Creflo Dollar says, "The answer is always [around] love."
So whatever your question, whatever your dilema, the answer is always to be found in love.
Quit trying to "figure it out," and start loving your way through it.
No matter what your issue, the answer is always love.

Love Takes Faith

Creflo Dollar preached, "Faith works by love. Fear works by selfishness." He went on, "Love is the power God intended us to operate in." Where there is faith, there can be love. Love needs faith as it's fuel, or as Creflo put it, "You need faith to love." Loving is an act of faith. Fear comes when we're more concerned about us than others. Fear comes when we take our eyes of our Lord and put them on our circumstances. Fear exposes that we don't really trust God. Pastor Dollar reminded us, "The seduction is always from love to selfishness." (The Armor of Love CD, #1)

Losing & Loving

"The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost." G.K. Chesterton

If you haven't come to that understand, realize that today.

Anything alive can die. Anything real can leave.

The way to truly treasure anything, is to realize it's only here for now.

Value = Love

Someone pointed that out today. If you value something you love it. If you love something/someone, you value them. Value and love are so closely related. Value is giving worth to something, usually great worth. It's how we make our purchases. It determines how much we are willing to pay for something, how much we value it. Sometimes we buy for value, a price we think is good. Sometimes, we buy out of desire, regardless of price. Watch what you value, because you'll end up loving it. Watch what you love, because it/they have great value!

The Therefores Matter

In my Bible Romans 14 has two subtitles: The Law of Liberty, and The Law of Love. The Law of Love section (verses 14-23) has a conclusionary "Therefore" in verse 19. "THEREFORE, let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another." Therefore, let us do that. Pursue the ways and means of peace today.

Today, pursue ways to edify another - not yourself. This may be the hardest thing. Looking intently for ways to edify another, since seeking ways to edify ourselves comes so naturally. Be unnatural today, be supernatural, be otherminded, be loving.

Love Shows No Partiality

On this day 55 years ago in 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person. Doesn't that make you sad? That is not the way of love. Today, vacate your seat to someone else, in honor of those who are less fortunate than us. If you see someone is relegated to a lower position, you be the one to give them your place. Honor others by loving all people, no matter their race, no matter their economic position, no matter their ideology.

Deuteronomy 10:17-For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality...