Daily Bible Verse:

“You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.” Psalm 86:5 NIV

The Ice Cream Prayer [Humor]

posted by gospelweb.net

Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good, God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would thank you even more if Mom gets us Ice Cream for dessert. And liberty and justice for all! Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for Ice Cream! Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?"

As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer."

"Really?" my son asked.

"Cross my heart." Then in theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "too bad she never asks God for Ice Cream. A little Ice Cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kid Ice Cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment and then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his Sundae and without a word walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice Cream is good for the soul sometimes and my soul is good already!"

8 Questions With America’s Supernanny Deborah Tillman

posted by elev8.com

Lifetime’s newest series, “America’s Supernanny”, starring childcare expert Deborah Tillman may be  airing it’s season finale tomorrow night, but Deborah wants you to know that the quest for raising inspired, balanced children is her quest in life.

She took a few moments to answer  8 questions withElev8 today.

Elev8: How did you choose your line of employment?

Deborah Tillman: I grew up in a balanced home. A first, I never thought I would be doing what I am doing but, you now when God put you on a path, well you are n that path.I had experience seeing what childcare was like with my children. it just moved me to really put a plan into action. It was personal.  I was moved and motivted that childcare could be so much more so, that when I opened my school.

Elev8: What do you think is the major issue in most house today?

Deborah Tillman:“I think that parents have given up on parenting. Most households I go into I ask what the house rules are and no one knows. The child doesn’t know. How can you have expectation if behavior if the child does not have a rule to follow. That would be hard for anyone to do. Imagine if you had no expectation if what was right or wrong way to do something.”

Elev8: What are  some great house-rules to start with?

Deborah Tillman:”Be consistent. The child will do what you want if you show consistency. Show that choices have consequences. Reinforce positivity not negativity. Be a living example of behavior you want the child to model.”

Elev8:What should older parents be aware of?  Especially, since the census shows that the median age of first time parents had become older.

Deborah Tillman:“Obviously, if you have set your life plan in motion and chosen to be a parent at an older age you should prepare for the amount if time it will take to raise bakanced children. It is a 24hour  and 7 days a week job.”

Elev8: What practices should families institute in their home?

Deborah Tillman:”I truly believe that adding back the family time. Eating dinner together, praying together and reading together establish a bind that is unbreakable with children. It helps them form into mature health responsible adults.”

Elev8: What do you think parents are missing the boat on?

Deborah Tillman:”I think role modeling at home is important. Model how to have integrity and morality. Remember that their eyes are always focused on you. When they see you behave in a certain way they come to accept that this is the way to behave.”

Elev8: What has changed in parents and children?

Deborah Tillman:“Over the years I’ve seen a real decline in respect. Respect for authority being one place that has definitely charged. I see parents go into full arguments with the teacher in front of thechild. How would you expect the child to respect the teacher after seeing you behave in this manner. Children are exposed to so much more than they ever were. They grow up a little faster.”

Elev8: What do you think parents should do when their child is out of control?Is it ever too late?

Deborah Tillman: “I don’t believe there is a point where a child can’t change. I believe it is never too late. I make sure with all my all my children I let them know that it takes a village. I want to know what their day was like before they get to me. I want to them to know that someone cares and loves them. That is the most important part.”

Tillman was chosen from a field of more than 400 candidates, Lifetime for “Supernanny”. She has also written a  book, Stepping Out on Faith. Currently she is spinning Yolanda Adams and recommends that people should read “Super Rich” By Russell Simmons.

Deborah’s show “Supernanny” gives viewers an all-access look at troubled households as she visits the homes of parents throughout the U.S. seeking guidance and assistance on how to best raise their children.  Diving straight into the chaos and heart of the matter, Tillman closely observes each family dynamic to pinpoint their complicated problems – ranging from extremely intense tantrums and constant timeouts to bad habits and misguided parenting – and help them follow through to resolve their issues and put families on the road to happiness.

Kari Jobe - Find You on My Knees (Official Acoustic Video) - Music Videos

Enjoy this music video.

What Would Jesus Listen To?

Posted by elev8.com

What song do you think is missing from the playlist?  Why?

For years, people have been running around with bracelets that say: “What would Jesus Do?”

When you think of Jesus Christ, do you think of him as  “the weak, wishy washy, touchy feely Saviour” as he is often portrayed in the media? The Bible reveals the real Jesus—and He is quite different from what many imagine!  Not only was Jesus’ message vastly different from what is commonly supposed; neither did He look anything at all like the traditional portraits in movie portrayals we see!

He was thoroughly masculine, commanding the respect and loyalty of young followers who were both successful and hard-working. On the one hand, He was prepared to walk boldly into the courtyard of the Temple with a plaited whip, drive the animals out and overthrow the tables of the moneychangers. On the other hand, He was moved with compassion for the sick and afflicted. Jesus surprised some of the pushy, aggressive young men who were His closest followers by taking time to hold infants in His arms and invoke God’s blessing on them (Luke 18:15–16).

Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” But beware; appearances can be deceiving. This famous saying of Jesus isn’t telling us not to judge. Here’s the rest of the passage:

For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

The problem isn’t judging; it’s failing to judge oneself by the same standard. Jesus calls us to examine ourselves and repent of our own sin before we approach someone who is in error or in sin. He tells us to take the speck out of our brother’s eye – in effect, to judge them after critically judging ourselves. In judging, rebuking, or confronting we must avoid being a wimp, a jerk, or a coward. Wimps sit quietly in the pews, shaking their heads and hoping sin and false teaching will go away by itself. They allow these to destroy lives, families, and churches without lifting a finger. Wimps are strong on love, but weak on justice. Jerks know they’re right and they’re proud of it. They don’t distinguish between real problems and minor disagreements and enjoy pointing out everyone else’s errors and moral failings. These folks are strong on justice, but weak on love. Cowards, unlike wimps, are willing to judge sin and false teaching but, unlike jerks, are unwilling to confront those at fault. They lack the courage to confront the problematic person or group and instead spread dissension and mistrust under the radar. The tragedy of the coward is they end up being just as poisonous as the very thing they oppose. He casts out teachers who prophesy falsely in His name yet gives mercy to the repentant tax collector. This is the way of Jesus. He is suffering servant and glorious king. He was not a wimp who just accepted everything, a jerk who looked down on others, or a coward who was afraid to confront.

Daily Bread: When The Wind Blows

posted by odb.org

January 30, 2012 — by Dennis Fisher

Harold and Cathy and their two sons were in a wooded area in Minnesota when a tornado touched down. Cathy described her experience to me several years later:

“My husband and older son were some distance away, but my younger son and I took cover in a cabin. We heard a sound like a hundred railroad cars and instinctively dropped to the floor in a tucked position. The cabin began to break apart, and I shut my eyes because of all the flying debris. It felt like I was going up in an elevator and then was shot into the air. I landed in a lake and clung to debris to stay afloat.”

Tragically, however, their younger son did not survive. Harold said of their loss: “We cried every day for 6 weeks. But we believe that God’s loving sovereignty allowed that tornado to come down where we were. And we also took comfort in the fact that our son knew the Lord.”

When a loved one is taken and we are left behind, it can create all kinds of questions. In times like these, Romans 8:28 can be of great encouragement: “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” This couple’s trust in God’s loving sovereignty brought them comfort in the midst of their grief (2 Cor. 1:3-4).

When we sustain a heartbreaking loss,
When grief overwhelms our soul,
The Savior who gave Himself on the cross
Reminds us that He’s in control. —D. De Haan

Our greatest comfort in sorrow is to know that God is in control.

Song of the Day by Laura Story - Indescribable

Interesting Reads: Lies at the Altar: The Truth About Great Marriages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Gentle voice notwithstanding, psychologist (and national television personality) Smith pulls no punches and minces no words in her heartfelt caution against the danger in believing "that you don't need what you do need." Truth is the theme here, and Smith guides listeners in how to recognize it, speak it and make it a part of the marriage. Although targeted to women who suppress themselves in order to be in a relationship, men are not left out. Smith's candid examples from her own failed marriage and those of the troubled couples she counsels ably illustrate her points. The first CD lists the top 10 lies about relationships (including "You can learn to live with the things that make you unhappy") together with their corresponding truths ("Suffering is not love"). The second CD explains how couples can make each marriage vow real. The third CD's bonus material is equally valuable: a set of 275 questions (viewable in Adobe reader) to ask before you marry. Smith succeeds admirably in taking the microscope to the myriad actions and words couples automatically do and say, and explaining how questioning them can lead to a more authentic marriage.

You can purchase this on Amazon.com.

Movies to Watch For: Think Like a Man Official Trailer #1 - Chris Brown Movie (2012) HD

Recipe of the Day: Whole Roast Chicken Recipe - Laura Vitale - Laura in the Kitchen Episode...

Dance of the Day- Power of Praise Dance - Son of Man

What Do you think Of President Obama's State of the Union Address?

Pastors Protest School Worship Ban

Posted by urbanfaith.com

Some New York City pastors are protesting the Board of Education's ban on worship in public school space as the ban threatens to spread beyond schools.

Pastors were among those arrested in New York City Thursday as they protested the city Board of Education’s ban on religious groups using public school space for worship, The New York Timesreported.

In December, UrbanFaith talked to two sources about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to hear a Bronx church’s appeal of a lower court ruling that affirmed the ban. The Supreme Court’s decision was a catalyst for this protest.

“It’s just crazy that they’re forcing the churches to leave in six weeks,” Democratic councilman and pastor Fernando Cabrera told the Associated Press after he and the others were arrested for trespassing at the city’s Department of Law in Manhattan. “They should absolutely allow the houses of worship to continue doing what they are doing. It has never negatively affected anyone.”

Rev. Bill Devlin of Manhattan Bible Church was taken into custody with Cabrera, according toWORLD Magazine, as was Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) pastor Rev. Michael Carrion, ECC reported on its website.

“The protestors fear that the city will use the same separation of church and state rationale to evict churches from all public buildings. The New York City Housing Authority already has said it is reconsidering allowing churches to meet in buildings it oversees,” the ECC article said.

“Over the Christmas holidays, several local directors of facilities of the New York City Housing Authority notified religious groups, mostly Christian churches, that they could no longer rent community rooms and other facilities. NYCHA officials gave little or no warning of the change of policy and did most of their communicating with the religious groups through word of mouth or email,” Tony Carnes reported at A Journey Through NYC Religions.

“One director of a Manhattan community center at a public housing project sent the administrator of Manhattan Borough Community Operations a copy of the newspaper article about the case. The implied question was, what should I do? The administrator emailed back, ‘NYCHA will not be able to rent to Churches based on a recent circumstance. Our Apologies,’” Carnes wrote.

Echoing sentiments author and NYC public school parent Katherine Stewart shared with us, Sheila Stainback, a spokeswoman for NYCHA, told PolitickerNY that no one had been evicted because none of the churches who used their facilities had leases. “That language would be incorrect,” said Stainback.

Cabrera called foul on this interpretation of the situation, however, noting that one church had been worshiping in the same public space for six years.

“We are getting the perception that we have an anti-religion mayor,” Cabrera told PolitickerNY. “I have never been arrested for anything. I don’t even drink beer. This is how desperate I am.”

“Not only is it unconstitutional, but on a very practical level we have partnered with our community and our school to serve our children, mentor and we also pay rent,” Rev. Rick Del Rio, pastor of Abounding Grace Ministries, told The Christian Post.

Del Rio attended the rally, but was not arrested. In a note on his Facebook wall, Del Rio said, “When we consider Jesus and all His confrontations and ultimate death, to the disciples and their witness that was turning the world upside down and their courage to stand and ‘Speak’ and ‘DO’ what they knew was true, always at the risk of peril, why should we be so non-confrontational. And what of the examples of Wlberforce and Martin Luther King. … What I saw last Thursday were believers who chose to take a stand, raise their voices and speak truth to power, challenging the authorities to do the right thing and staking their claim to what is rightfully theirs as tax paying citizens of the US and NYC.”

What do you think?

Sexual Healing [Video]

A poem I originally wrote for open mic at Pacific University. This poem mainly focuses though on anyone who has been deeply affected, hurt, and damaged by sexual sin. Forgiveness and mercy are given freely by Jesus. He cleans, restores, and heals us beyond measure and asks nothing in return. He saw all our sin and filth before he went to the cross and it was still his joy to go get us.

How To Winterize Your Home

Posted by elev8.com

We have had our first official snow fall in most of our country. While the danger from winter weather varies across the country, nearly all Americans, regardless of where they live, are likely to face some type of severe winter weather at some point in their lives.

Here are tips to winterize your home.

• Winterize your home to extend the life of your fuel supply by insulating walls and attics, caulking and weather-stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows or covering windows with plastic.
• Winterize your house, barn, shed or any other structure that may provide shelter for your family, neighbors, livestock or equipment. Clear rain gutters; repair roof leaks and cut away tree branches that could fall on a house or other structure during a storm.
• Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected every year.
• Insulate pipes with insulation or newspapers and plastic and allow faucets to drip a little during cold weather to avoid freezing. Running water, even at a trickle, helps prevent pipes from freezing.
• All fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside and kept clear.
• Keep fire extinguishers on hand, and make sure everyone in your house knows how to use them. House fires pose an additional risk, as more people turn to alternate heating sources without taking the necessary safety precautions.
• Learn how to shut off water valves (in case a pipe bursts).
• Insulate your home by installing storm windows or covering windows with plastic from the inside to keep cold air out.
• Hire a contractor to check the structural ability of the roof to sustain unusually heavy weight from the accumulation of snow – or water, if drains on flat roofs do not work.

Our Daily Bread: Thank God For Music

Music plays a big part in the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, God enlists musicians to work on His behalf. He uses music to call people to worship and to send them to war, to soothe ragged emotions and to ignite spiritual passion, to celebrate victories and to mourn losses. Music is an all-occasion, all-inclusive art form. There are followers and leaders, simple songs and complex songs, easy instruments and difficult instruments, melodies and harmonies, fast rhythms and slow rhythms, high notes and low notes.

Music is a wonderful metaphor for the church because everyone participates by doing what he or she does best. We all sing or play different notes at different times, but we all perform the same song. The better we know our parts, and the better we follow the conductor, the more beautiful the music.

One of the best uses for music is praise. When Solomon’s temple was completed, the musicians praised and thanked God. As they did, “the glory of the Lord filled the house of God” (2 Chron. 5:14).
We thank God for beautiful music, for it’s like a preview of heaven, where the glory of God will dwell forever and where praise for Him will never cease.

Bless the Lord and sing His praises,Bless the Lord now, O my soul;Join the song all heaven raises,Let the anthem loudly roll! —Peterson

Those who praise God on earth will feel at home in heaven.

Song of the Day: Oslo Gospel Choir - All to Jesus I Surrender lead Anita Nymoen

Song of the Day: William McDowell- Closer/Wrap Me In Your Arms feat. Blanca from Group 1 ...

Our Daily Bread: Purge Out The Old

Several days before their New Year celebration, many Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning. There’s a Cantonese saying that goes:
“Wash away the dirt on ninyabaat” (28th day of month 12).

They practice this tradition because it is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck.

When the apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth, he asked them to give their lives a thorough cleansing—not for good luck but to please God. He told them to “purge out the old leaven” (1 Cor. 5:7).
Paul used the Jewish feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread (Ex. 12:1-28) as a backdrop for this statement. Leaven (yeast) was a symbol of sin and corruption and was to be removed from Jewish homes to celebrate these festivals (Deut. 16:3-4). Because Jesus is the Passover Lamb who cleanses us from sin, the Corinthians were to scour their hearts and remove the leaven of sexual immorality, malice, and wickedness from their lives and their assembly (1 Cor. 5:9-13).
Out of gratitude to Jesus for His sacrifice, let us purge out the sin in our lives and celebrate the holiness that only He can bring.

The holiness of God demandsA heart that’s pure within,Yet grace unites with holinessTo purge the heart from sin. —D. De Haan

Sin’s contamination requires the Savior’s cleansing.

Song of the Day: JENNIFER HUDSON-JESUS PROMISED ME A HOME OVER THERE

Our Daily Bread: Extending Grace

In the mid-1970s, divorce filings and final decrees appeared in the Public Records section of our local newspaper.

Rev. Bill Flanagan, a pastor at our church, read those names week after week and began to picture people, not statistics. So he created a Divorce Recovery Workshop to offer help and healing in Christ to hurting people during a difficult time.

When concerned church members told Bill he was condoning divorce, he softly replied that he was simply extending God’s grace to folks in need.

When Jesus invited Matthew the tax collector to follow Him, he accepted. Matthew then invited Jesus to dinner at his house. After the religious leaders criticized Him for eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matt. 9:12-13). Jesus, the Great Physician, wants to meet each of us at our point of need, offering forgiveness, healing, and hope. What we don’t deserve, He freely gives.

By reaching out to people in need, we can extend to others this grace of God in Christ—guiding them to His healing touch.

There’s advantage in our weakness,There is blessing in our pain;It is when we’re feeling helplessThat God’s grace and strength sustain. —Fitzhugh

When you know God’s grace, you’ll want to show God’s grace

Song of the Day by Jeremy Camp "I Know Who I Am"

Fruit for Thought: Cupuaçu

Cupuacu is extremely popular in South America, especially Brazil, and is poised to become the next big super fruit to hit the U.S. Some nutritional food experts are saying that it will eclipse the popular Acaibecause it's healthier, has the same benefits, and is easier to grow without destroying rainforests.

So what is Cupuacu, why is it better, and how can you get it?

About Cupuacu (cupuaçu)

Cupuacu is a tree that grows in the rainforest canopy in South America with the Latin name Theobroma Grandiflorum. The Cupuaçu belongs to the cocoa family and grows to a height of 12-20 meters (30-65 feet). The fruit of the tree, which is called by the same name, has been a primary food source for natives in the rainforest for centuries and has a creamy, exotic pulp at the center of a large melon.

The fruits are about the size of a medium-sized watermelon and become ripe from January to April, during the rainy season. These are gathered, split open, and the pulp is made into juice, ice cream, jam, tarts, smoothies and more. These are considered delicacies in many of the larger cities of South America, such as Rio, and are sold in shops of all description.

Traditionally it has been cultivated and used by indigenous peoples for centuries. Nutritionally, Cupuacu is very compact and full. The ìbeansî (seeds) were often given to people to chew to cure abdominal pains and the juice would be blessed by shamans and given to pregnant women, newlyweds who wanted children, and others for various maladies.

Cupuacu came to the attention of many westerners when a Japanese company attempted to trademark the name of the tree and fruit as well as the term ìCupulateî to sell as a chocolate coffee-like drink. Brazil finally declared Cupuacu to be the national fruit and the name to be ineligible for trademark.

The Nutrients in Cupuacu

Alone amongst every plant known, Cupuacu fruit has phytonutrient polyphenols (theograndins). These have a myriad of nutritional benefits, which will be discussed more thoroughly below.

Cupuacu is also heavy with vitamins B1, B2, B3 (Niacin), fatty and amino acids, and at least nine antioxidants (including Vitamins A and C). Being from the cocoa family, Cupuacu also has a high flavanoid content.

There are many other ingredients in the nutritional content of these rainforest fruits as well, including calcium, selenium, and others.

Nutritional and Health Benefits of Cupuacu

There are many health benefits to Cupuacu, most of which are tied to the fruit's extremely potentphytonutrient polyphenols, anti-oxidants, essential nutrients, vitamins, and others mentioned earlier.

It's primary health benefit is stimulating the immune system while simultaneously supporting the body's ability to fight disease. Cupuacu has a caffeine-like effect, but does not contain caffeine. It is one of the few cocoa relatives that does not, yet it retains this energetic effect.

Most of the benefits of Cupuacu are synergistic. For instance, the energy-boosting effect mentioned comes primarily as a result of the fruit's heightening of the immune system, lowering of blood pressure, and the body-boosting effects of the fast-acting nutrients and vitamins from the fruit. Unlike most energy drinks or caffeine, however, there is no ìdownî with Cupuacu. No tired feeling afterwards.

Still more synergistic effects include healthier skin and hair, lowered cholesterol levels (through lipid peroxidation inhibition), and better libido. These are some of the better benefits of the Cupuacu fruit.

Another huge benefit of the fruit is its extremely rich array and concentration of antioxidants. These have a large number of longer-term effects on the body including (and possibly most importantly) the neutralization of free radicals in the body's tissues. The improved circulation and lowered blood pressure mentioned already aid in this process of eliminating those free radicals.

Others of these antioxidants are what help lower cholesterol levels, improve brain function, and more. Many of the essential vitamins and minerals are boosters for the gastro-intestinal system (explaining the fruit's use by natives for GI problems) as well as a healthier cardio-vascular system.

Do You Know the Power of Walking in Love???

The Power of Love

his article will serve as a follow up to our article titled, “The 9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit.” In that article, I gave you the verse from Galatians where the Lord is telling us there are 9 specific fruits that He can transmit up into our personalities through His Holy Spirit. In this verse from Galatians, the very first quality that is listed as one of the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit is the quality of love – and I do not think this was by accident!

When you really study and meditate on the verses I will list below, you can sum all of them up in one simple statement. God is looking for you to be able to love in 6 different areas – all with the love of the Holy Spirit being available to you to help you out in each one of these areas. God wants you to be able to fully love in all 6 of these realms. You are to learn how to:

1. Love God
2. Love yourself
3. Love your family
4. Love your friends
5. Love your neighbors
6. Love your enemies

You will notice there are 6 specific areas that God will want you to really be able to love in. Bottom line – God will want you to love right across the board – from loving Him down to being able to love the worst of your enemies. The first 4 areas are much easier to learn how to do than the last two areas – especially the last one in being able to love your enemies and those who will try and hurt you in this life.

Loving most of your family and friends is very easy because of the strong natural bonds that we have already established with them. But learning how to love some of your neighbors who you have no real special bond with, or complete total strangers will be much harder for you to do, especially with the way that our world has become with so many more people keeping to themselves and being afraid to trust anyone.

However, this can be done with the help of the Holy Spirit. Once you start to feel the love of God Himself for some of these people, it will then become much easier for you to befriend some of these people and help them out when the need may arise.

Again, Jesus is the perfect example of someone who was always helping total strangers. When you study what He did as He was walking on our earth, He was always stopping and talking to people, along with helping, teaching, saving, healing and delivering some of these people when the need would arise. He was always there to meet their needs, especially their spiritual needs.

Just as Jesus was able to walk in perfect love in His words and actions with other people – so too can we learn how to walk in that same godly love if we will allow the Holy Spirit to enter us into this sanctification process where God the Father can then begin to work all 9 fruits of His Holy Spirit up into the very cores of our personalities.

Though we will never be able to love in the perfect way that Jesus can since none of us will ever become the fourth person of the Holy Trinity – we can still try to do the best we can in our dealings and relationships with other people.

Now I will give you some of the best and most profound verses from the Bible on the quality of love, how powerful of a thing it really is, and exactly what God the Father is looking for from each one of us in this area. I will break these Scripture verses down under their appropriate captions so you can fully grasp the revelation the Lord is trying to give you in this area.

1. Love is the Greatest of All the Virtues

These first two verses really set the stage on how high God is really ranking the quality of love. As you will see with the way these two verses are being worded, God the Father is placing the quality of love as #1 in the entire scheme of things.

The first verse lists three specific virtues, with faith being one of them. And then it ends stating that love is the greatest of these three virtues – including being greater than faith itself. Just stop and think for a minute what God is trying to tell us with just this one statement in that having the love of God operating and flowing through us is even better and greater than having higher levels of faith in Him.

Without faith in God – we cannot connect to Him. Without faith in God – there can be no miracles. Faith is our lifeline to the Lord. Without faith in God, we would be spiritually dead in the Lord. So why would God say the quality of love is even greater than our lifeline to Him, which is our faith?

I believe God is trying to tell us something very important with this statement, and the apostle Paul perfectly captures what that something is in the second verse I will list below. Paul makes one of the most classic statements ever made on the importance of love and how this quality fits into the big picture as far as God is concerned.

Paul says that you can have the greatest gift of tongues, the greatest gift of prophecy, the greatest understanding of all the mysteries and knowledge of God, have the highest levels of faith in God, and do some of the greatest works for God – but if you do not have the love of God operating in your life, then all of this gifting, power, knowledge, and works in the Lord will all be for nothing! I repeat – all for nothing!

It will have all been for naught when you have to end up giving a full account of yourself to the Lord on your day of judgment with Him. Bottom line – all of your accomplishments in the Lord, and all of the good fruit you may have produced for the Lord in this lifetime will mean absolutely nothing to Him if you did not walk all of this out in the spirit of love.

This is why each and every Christian should make it their #1 goal and priority in this life to learn how to walk in the love of God for their lives.

Nothing will touch other people more deeply than having the love of God shining through you and your life. With the quality of love being an universal language that everyone can understand and witness to – this quality, more than any other quality, will be the main one that can lead nonbelievers to salvation in the Lord, and lead other believers into a deeper walk with God. I do not think it is a coincidence that the quality of love is listed as the very first fruit of the Holy Spirit in the verse from Galatians on the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Here are the first two profound verses that will show us how important the quality of love really is in the big picture.

1. “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
    
2. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1)

This last verse from Paul perfectly puts the quality of love in proper perspective for all of our lives, in that everything we do for the Lord has to be done in love.

2. Walk in Love

These next set of verses will tell us that we all have to learn how to “walk in love,” how to “stir up love,” and how to “love from a pure heart.” They tell us that everything we do for God down here has to “be done with love.”

These verses are all good, basic, foundational verses on the subject of love. Here they are:

1. “Therefore be followers of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us … ” (Ephesians 5:1)
    
2. “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith … ” (1 Timothy 1:5)
    
3. “Let all that you do be done with love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14)
    
4. “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together … ” (Hebrews 10:24)
    
5. “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling … ” (1 Peter 3:8)

Simply put – God wants everything that we do for Him in this life to be done in love. We simply have to learn how to walk with His love operating in our lives. There is no other way to live this life but walking it out in the love of God towards Him, towards ourselves, and towards one another.

3. What Love Is

In my article on the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit, I gave you the definition on love from some of the different Bible Dictionaries and Commentaries. For the sake of this article, I am going to go ahead and restate these definitions, and then add several more verses from Scripture on what some of the qualities that are in true love from a pure heart.

Here are some of the definitions on love from some of the different Bible Dictionaries and Commentaries:

1. Unselfish, benevolent concern for another; brotherly concern; the object of brotherly concern or affection
    
2. The self-denying, self-sacrificing, Christ-like love which is the foundation of all other graces
    
3. Unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the well being of another
    
4. The high esteem which God has for His human children, and the high regard which they in turn should have for Him and other people
    
5. To love, to have affection for someone; to be a friend; the love of brothers for each other

Now here are two very good verses on what is found in true love:

1. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)
    
2. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

This last verse from Paul is a real mouthful. True love will always be kind. True love will never flaunt itself for attention. True love will never be jealous of others and their accomplishments. True love will always be thinking of others and their welfare. True love will never rejoice or wallow in evil and sin.

The first verse from John states that there is no fear in love. Those who are trying to love you by trying to rule over you in fear are not truly loving you in the way God has intended. Those husbands who are physically and/or verbally abusing their wives in an effort to try and control them with fear are not operating in true love, contrary to what they may be thinking in their warped and debased minds.

They verbally and/or physically beat their wives down and then pick them up, and then tell them how much they love them so they can keep on perpetuating this cycle of violence and abuse. This is not true love – this is pure evil!

The above verse from John says that perfect love will cast out all fear. If these men truly loved their wives, they would not be physically or verbally abusing and violating them in the ways they have been. These kind of men are an abomination to the Lord – and what they call love, God calls pure evil.

So many people’s idea of love for another is to try and manipulate other people for their own personal gain and profit. The last verse from Paul says that true love will never think of evil, much less ever do evil to another – and that it will not seek its own, which means it will never attempt to love another person for their own personal gain, profit, or ego.

As a result of all the contamination that is in this fallen world, many people have lost the ability to truly love other people in the pure way that God has intended. This is why all Christians need the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit started in their lives – so God can begin to get them cleaned up in their thinking and in the way they act towards others.

To Read the Full Articel please visit the link below:

http://www.bible-knowledge.com/power-of-love/