Day 4: Not Just Love But Agape

February 5, 2013February 5, 2013 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

When we say love we think of romantic love or the surface love we feel for friends. The Greeks used the word Agape for a special level of love. The highest standard of love. 1 Corinthians 13 lays out just what is expected when we say Agape.

Paul discribes this loves by stating what Agape does not do and what Agape does.

1) Patient

2) Kind

3) Does not envy

4) Does not boast

5) Not proud

6) Does not dishonor others

7) Not self seeking

8) Not easily angered

9) Keeps no record of wrongs

10) Does not delight in evil

11) Rejoices in truth

12) Always protects

13) Always trusts

14) Always hopes

15) Always perseveres

Journal

On a scale of 1-5 where 1 equals “this is a problem for me” and 5 means “I can honestly say this describes me” give a rating to each of the characteristics of Agape Love.

We will go over each one in detail later, but for today just think about the words in general.

Example Patience: 2 I lose my patience. I try not to, but I get so frustrated.

28 Day Love Challenge · February · Love · Uncategorized · Valentines

Day 3: Step One

February 4, 2013 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all mind.

Jesus says this is the most important commandment.

When God means everything to you, when you love him more than anything else in your life then He can use you to serve others. We say we love God, but is He honestly first in our lives. We tend to think about God’s love for us. “God give me what I want.” or “God will understand” or “God would want me happy”. We spend much less time asking what does God want. Will I understand if God does not give me what I want? Will I live a life that brings honor to God even if it means I cannot do the things I want to do?

We know we have moved in the correct direction when our thoughts seek God’s desire. Do we long to make Him happy? Think about it.

Heart: Who is your first love? Where are your priorities? Do you find yourself pushing God aside for other people and things?

Mind: Do you meditate on God’s word? Are your thoughts centered on God or on the distractions of the world?

Soul: Is your spirit one with the Holy Spirit? When a decision arises do you seek direction from Christ? Do you seek to be one with Christ through the Spirit–like the vine and branch? Are you walking through the day with Him as your guide.

Journal

Do you have the kind of relationship with Christ that can be described as with all you heart, soul and mind? How would you describe your day to day relationship with God?

Agape Love requires you to be willing to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. You must love God more than the pleasures and comforts of this world.

Activity

Read Matthew 19:16-29 The story of the rich young ruler. In this story, Jesus asks the young man to sell all he has, give the money to the poor and to follow Jesus.

As you moved through the day, think about what you have. What would your answer be if Jesus said quit your job, sell your house, give away your retirement? What do you love more that Jesus? What do you fear losing?

28 Day Love Challenge · February · Love · Valentines

Day 2–What To Do When You Are Asked to Do the Impossible

February 3, 2013 purposeunderheaven2 Comments

I can’t love the way Christ wants me to love. I try and I can’t do it.

Do you know what it is like to want to love the way Jesus said, but to find yourself always ending up angry or hurt? I think I equate making donations or paying for things as love. Then people take advantage of me and anger grows, resentment takes root. It’s not pleasant.

I pull away and close the purse. I feel frustrated that some people seem to always have their hands out. But even when I give them something it is out of duty and not out of love.

You see, I think about James 2:15 and 16 and I assume Jesus expects me to help them. I mean James tells us if we see our Christian brother or sister in trouble wearing torn up cloths and lacking food that we should help. He asks what good does it do to say keep warm and full, but to do nothing to help. So I give in and help, but it is not our of love it is out of duty.

I look at the negative list in Paul’s definition of love in first Corinthians 13 and I recognize myself. I know the right words and what I am suppose to say, but I am not sure I really mean them all the time. My words sound loving and kind but the emotion inside, the one hidden beneath my façade, is much more complex.

Paul says if we give up everything we have including ourselves, but don’t do it with love then we have nothing. Which brings me back to realizing that while I desire to love others as Christ has asked me to love I cannot do so under my own strength.

Galatians 5:22 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is Love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance

The fruit of the Spirit means God working through us. God can love with Agape love; I cannot, but the Spirit when I become one with Christ can love others with Agape through me.

I know I am moving through verses today, but I think Jesus in John 15 told us how we could move from people who are incapable of love to people who produce the fruit of Agape.

Jesus said He was the vine and we are the branches. We can only bear fruit by dwelling in Jesus and by his dwelling in us. We are to live united to him. Jesus words must become part of us. But it is more than knowing scripture. It is about staying connected to Jesus throughout our day.

Journal

Write a prayer to Jesus asking him to draw you closer to him. Ask him to show you how to live in Him and how to be aware of His living in you. Ask him to teach you how to love with Agape love. Admit you are not capable of this type of love on your own. Ask Him to prune what is not productive.

Activity

Over the next 24 hours focus on discussing the day-to-day events in your life with Christ. Discuss everything with him as you go through the day. One day of treating him like a best friend spending the day with you.

28 Day Love Challenge · February · Love · Valentines

Day 1 –To Love or Not to Love

February 2, 2013 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

Jesus when asked what the most important commandment was said.

Matthew 22:37 “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

And Jesus said if you love him than

^{John 15: 12}My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷This is my command: Love each other.

And John tells us in his first letter

1 John 4:⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

This 28 Day Challenge is for Christians, those who have accepted the sacrifice of Christ and have asked Him to be Lord of their lives. We love God because He first loved us and what He asks from us is that we love others as he loved us.

Journal

Are you a Christian? Have you asked Christ for forgiveness of your sins and to be Lord of your life? If not you can do so now. It is not complicated, but you have to be sincere. Christianity is about faith or trust. You trust that Christ’s sacrifice removes your sin, you trust that Christ loves you and that He will guide you through the Holy Spirit.
Write a statement of commitment that for the next 28 days you will be open to God filling you with His love for others.

Activity

Keep a small notebook with you during the next 28 days. As you interact with people who you know are Christians, do you see examples of Christian love? Make a quick note of what you see.

Also note moments when you could have shown Christ’s love but didn’t.

28 Day Love Challenge · February · Love · Valentines

The Twenty Eight Day Love Challenge

February 1, 2013 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

28-Day Challenge

Join me in a beginner’s fitness course in love. Not the ooey gooey bubble gum love of a crush. Not romantic fluttery type of love. I am not even talking about the love of a mom who is totally responsible for the well being of a newborn baby. Nope.

This challenge is for Christians who want to grow stronger in the one-way Jesus specifically asked us to grow if we loved Him. I plan to study what the bible has to say about agape love translated originally in Latin as caritas (preciousness, dearness, high price).

Just remember, according to 1 Cor 13 if you can speak with all the languages of men and angels, but do not have Caritas then you sound like a big brass gong. Loud and jarring. Or if you can teach and you understand the greatest mysteries and you know just about everything and you actually have enough faith to move a mountain but you do not have charitas you are nothing.

If you take everything you have and give it to feed the poor or you are willing to sacrifice your body to the flames but don’t have charitas then it means nothing.

Each day we will look at what the bible says about the love Christ expects from us. There will be questions for journaling or meditation. And on most days there will be challenges (actions) to start getting us into the habit of acting on what we read.

I hope you will come along with me as I dig deeper into this type of love Jesus said we should practice if we love him.

28 Day Love Challenge · February · Love · Valentines

My Starting Play List for February: Theme Love

February 1, 2013 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

His Love Endures Forever Tommy Walker and the C.A. Worship Band

Until the Whole World Hears Casting Crowns

Father I Adore You Matt Brouwer

You Are My King (Amazing Love) Newsboys

Take My Life (and Let It Be) Chris Tomlin

Here I Am Again Matt Brouwer

Perfect People Natalie Grant

My Own Little World Matthew West

Love You So Much Hillsong

You Are Being Loved Steven Curtis Chapman

Children of God Steven Curtis Chapman

What This World Needs Casting Crowns

Matthew’s Song Chasing Canaan

Jesus, Friend of Sinners Casting Crowns

So Far to Find You Casting Crowns

You Gave Me Love B.J. Thomas

The Business of Love Charlie Daniels

How Deep the Father’s Love for Us Nichole Nordeman

Love Song for a King Caleb Rowden

As the Deer Adore

Here Is Love Matt Redman

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go Chris Rice