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God’s love is agape love God does for you and me things which we cannot do for ourselves and which we do not deserve. God does something that is impossible for us to do out of wanting the best for you and me. What does God do for me right now?? God "makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matt 5:45 The living God, Who made heaven and earth gives rain from heaven and crops in their seasons." Acts 14:15-17 God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Matt 6:26, 29-30 God makes everything beautiful in its time. God sets eternity in the hearts of men even though they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. God has many people be happy and do good while they live, eating and drinking and finding satisfaction in their toil—this is the gift of God. Everything God does will endure forever God does it so that men will revere Him. Ecc 3:11-14
How does God show His impartial love for all people? The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. Prov 15:3 God has unfailing love. Psalm 6:4 Compassionate and gracious is God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15 The Lord says "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." Jeremiah 31:3 God is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God Who does no wrong, upright and just is He. Deuteronomy 32:4 "I the LORD do not change." Micah 3:6 God personally invites many to Himself. For the purpose of helping them. Matt 22:14 Behold, the Lord's hand is not too short to save. Isaiah 59:1 The Lord is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2Peter 3:9 God acts in accordance to His Name and His Character. God is Love. 1Jn 4:8 &16
How does God demonstrate His love to all people? Through Nature! No matter how people are, how they treat one another, how they treat God Almighty, how they treat the planet he gave them, how they treat animals, etc. God continues to maintain their earthly home. God sees into our hearts. But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
God's Word states that God takes care of everyone the same way. God is a Very Personal God.
Why does God show us His love by maintaining nature? Because God wants us to know Him personally. It is not that God is unaware of how people are; it is just that He has a goal in mind. God's goal is to let you be aware of Him so that you will want to be on His team, part of His family, and choose to live for Him for His glory and purpose alone. 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1 It is like a very fine landlord who owns all the territory. He shares, allowing many ot enjoy the fruits of his vineyards, the fish in his seas, the warmth of the sunshine, and the cool breeze on a hot day. This very rich landlord or king already owns the land, and he is letting you use the house you have. However, you ignore him, never thank him, and in fact, you abuse him by ignoring his existence, or just taking him for granted. You do not pay him rent, or anything due him. You say His Name like a curse word, and you completely forget who is allowing you to live, eat, and exist temporarily on this land.
I am in pain, I am despairing, I have no hope, I can’t stand the pain. >> God’s love is the only love that can help you, heal you, and save you from more pain. Storge love, or family affection, cannot permanently help you. (hyper to the definitions) Eros love, or physical love, cannot permanently help you. Phileo love, or friendship love, cannot permanently help you. Only Agape love CAN permanently help you from your internal turmoil and fear. It may seem to start slow at first, but God’s Love never fails, and He completes the good work He begins. (Philippians 1:6)
I have fear and pain. I have despair for today and for my future. What is the source of my fears? A part of the Solution may be: God demonstrated His love for you directly in this way, while you are His enemy (Romans 5:10), hating Him (Romans 1:30,31), not acknowledging His authority over your life (Psalm 51), and living against His great plan for your benefit (Jeremiah 29:11) and for His glory (Romans 11:36; Romans 15:17; Romans 16:27; Revelation 5:13; Revelation 4:11; Isaiah 43:7). Fear has to do with punishment. Punishment is what we deserve for everything we have said, thought, felt, and done wrong. Punishment is for bad attitudes, words, and motives. No one is perfect, and everyone has gone against a holy God. everyone has fallen short of God’s perfect standard that He has set. And the Good News is that there IS Someone Who has met the perfect standard in His lifetime!! There is only One person who was perfect!! He was perfect in love for people, He was perfect in obedience to God, and He was perfect in every word He said, His attitudes, His actions, motives and ways. And more than that, this perfect man who had Never done anything wrong, was condemned to death by evil men who were envious of Him. This perfect man took the punishment and wrath upon Himself that was deserved by every person who was and is not perfect. For everyone who ever did anything wrong by moral standards or by conscience or by laws of man, or by laws of God, or in any way, (see commandments) this one perfect man chose to be the substitute for those of us who have done wrong or bad things. Wrong or bad things can be rationalized away, excused away, ignored, justified by a faulty standard, making excuses, or just lied away. However, a Truthful God cannot rationalize, excuse, ignore, justify by a faulty standard, or lie about what has really occurred. And since the Holy God is Truth and Love, He must incur justice for the True standard of perfection that is set for every human being. The standard is God’s standard for Himself, holiness. (Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 22:32; Isaiah 48:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:10; 1 Peter 1:16) It is impossible for any person by their own effort and strength to attain holiness and perfection according to God’s standard. No one can attain this on their own (Romans 5:12-17) the only way God’s standards for living can be attained is by God’s power alone (Zechariah 4:6; 2Corinthians 9:8; Phil 4:13,19; Psalm 119:11; Hebrews 1:3; Romans 15:13; 2 Timothy 1:7; Eph 3:12,16-19; Eph 6:10-18). That man was Jesus who lived 2000 years ago. Many know him as Jesus Christ.
How can anyone get God’s power to live this way? They have to be changed to be like God. Anyone who wants to live this way must have their very internal nature changed (2 Corinthians 5:17, John 1:12,13; John 3:5,6; 1 John 3:1). For the person who wants to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1), being buoyed with internal comfort through their troubles (John 14:1; 2 Corinthians 1:3-6; Romans 5:3-5; Romans 8:17,18), receiving peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7), having joy that is beyond circumstances (Nehemiah 8:10; Psalm 126:5; John 17:13; Romans 14:17,18; Galatians 5:22-26), possessing hope that does not disappoint (1 Peter 1:3-5 ; 1 Timothy 4:10; Romans 5:5), and knowing a love that is never ends (Psalm 103:17, Jeremiah 31:3), that person must ask God to give it to them. In order for God to give the power to live like this to anyone, God wants something in exchange. God wants all of the bad things, or sin, that they have done in their life as well as their heart and life for His service. God does warn every person who chooses God to be their Savior from certain hell, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 While still sinners died for us. Saves us from certain punishment, or hell. (There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18) What is love? This verse tells what real love is. It is not selfish or self seeking, but wants only the Best for everyone. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. 1 Cor 13:4-8 Agape is the word for God's kind of love.
What did God do for me?? This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5 Since God is love, substituting the word love with God brings us to understand Who god is. God IS Patient and kind. God does not envy and does not boast. God is not proud. God is not rude or self-seeking. God is not easily angered. God keeps no record of wrongs for those who have accepted His Atonement. . God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails.
Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:17 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:2 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Atonement - Big Picture - World Violence - Friendship with God |
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