God is Love

 We are given clear commands to follow all throughout the Bible. And if we are in Christ we should be fully committed to being obedient. The Bible says that all who love God must also love their brothers and sisters. How many of us would be found wanting regarding this. How many of us love our fellow brothers and sisters? How many of us love our neighbor? Judgment begins in the house of God.  The Amplified Translation for 1 Peter 4:17 and 18 says, "For it is the time destined for judgment to begin with the house of God and if it begins with us what will the outcome be for those who do not respect or believe or obey the gospel of God. And if it is difficult for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the godless and the sinner." When I read this, I am reminded that I am never as saved as I think I am. Because I can so easily fall if not be for the grace of God. So take this message and be warned. Judgment begins in the house of God. Simply saying "Lord, Lord," is not enough. But doing the will of the Father, the righteous and holy will of God that is what counts. 

[True and False Disciples: Matthew 7:

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’] The people who say "Lord , Lord," are people in the church. But Jesus is saying although you are in the church, although you know the lingo and the mannerisms, when judgment day comes, do you have me in your heart. There is no room for hypocrisy in our lives as believers. We have to be completely loving and living for God, in order, for us to spend eternity with him. So the question is how many of you in the church have a genuine love for Jesus Christ. How many of us are genuinely saved. And on the other hand, how many are fake but claim to be genuine disciples. God is aware that there are some among us who are impostors and hypocrites. So judgment has to begin in the church. And I wonder what will be the fate of hypocrites in the church. The people who put on a mask and pretend to be something they are not. The people who claim to know and follow Jesus but they behave in a way that counteracts the Lord. The bible says in Matthew 6:1, "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them. For then, you will have no reward from your father who is in heaven. Giving to the Needy ; Matthew 6:¹ “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."

Verse five [Prayer : Matthew 6:⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.] Now, by no means should you be under the impression that we are the ones who can judge and determine a hypocrite. Because ultimately, it is an issue of the heart. And only God knows the heart. But we must examine and judge ourselves in a way to make sure that we are not the hypocrites spoken of in the Bible. So the message here is to check your heart. 

God Is Love: 1John 4:

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

God's love takes many forms throughout Scripture. 1 John 4:8 even refers to God Himself as love. Love could be explained as wanting the best for someone, and that's exactly what God intends for us. God loves you simply because he loves you. You don’t have to work for his affection. You don’t have to set yourself straight before God can pour out his love over you.

Top Bible Verses about God's Love

Romans 5:8 - But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 4:16 - So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Romans 8:37-39 - No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 3:1 - See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Ephesians 2:4-5 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved

1 John 4:19 - We love because he first loved us.

John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Jeremiah 31:3 - The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

God absolutely loves you. It’s hard to get our minds around, but it is true. This is where the faith journey starts: understanding that God loves you. If you do not have an assurance of God’s love, your faith journey will not last long. Fortunately, reading the Bible can help to strengthen your faith in God's love. There is no force more powerful than the love our heavenly Father has for us, His children. His love can move mountains, stop the roaring seas, heal broken bones and wounded hearts, transform lives, and set free those held captive by sin and shame. So great is his love for you and me that he sent his only Son to die that we might live through him.

God is not an angry taskmaster who shows affection only when you succeed. He is a loving Father who will always love you no matter what. Take time to receive the depth of his love for you today. Allow his love to heal you, transform you, free you, and lead you to the abundant life he has always longed to give. Read, meditate, and pray over these Bible verses about God's love as you walk in faith today.

And always remember these words in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8,

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

God Is Love . Amen .