Search Sort Posts:  Oldest to newest Newest to oldest

05-07-2008, 3:21 PM Evang. Aleechea Pitts Joined on 08-24-2006 Vineland, New Jersey, United States Posts 34 WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK LIKE? The following story is a living testimony of a Christ centered love. In the words of Dr. Richard Selzer ... I stand by the bed where a young woman lies, her face post-operative, her mouth twisted in palsy, clownish. A tiny twig of the facial nerve, the one to the muscles of her mouth, has been severed. The surgeon had followed with religious fervor the curve of her flesh; I promise you that. Nevertheless, to remove the tumor in her cheek, he had cut the little nerve. Her young husband is in the room. He stands on the opposite side of the bed, and together they seem to dwell in the evening lamplight, isolated from me, private. Who are they, I ask myself, he and this wrymouth I have made, who gaze at and touch each other so generously? The young woman speaks. "Will my mouth always be like this?" she asks. "Yes," I say, "it will. It is because the nerve was cut." She nods, and is silent. But the young man smiles. "I like it," he says. "It's kind of cute." All at once I know who he is. I understand, and I lower my gaze. One is not bold in an encounter with someone like God. Unmindful, he bends to kiss her crooked mouth, and I am so close I can see how he twists his own lips to accommodate hers, to show her that their kiss still works. Think about this love for a moment. What does love look like? "God is love and anyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him" (I John 4:16). What is this love? How is it shown? You know the answer as Spirit-filled Christians who confess Jesus as Lord and Savior: In the Apostle John's words: "This is the love I mean: not our love for God, but God's love for us when He sent His Son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away" (I Jn. 4:10). The Greek word used for God's love here is "agape." Agape love is a giving love. This is a love which one gives for the sake of the other. This is a love where one makes sacrifices for the benefit of the other. This is a love which one gives without asking for anything in return. This is a love that is full of grace. This is a love that perfectly describes what God has done for us in Christ. Jesus surrendered power and glory and position and gave Himself for us. He gave of Himself, He sacrificed Himself, for our sake and in our place. That is the picture of perfect love. God is the starting point for love. He shows us what love is. He showers love upon us. And, in union with Him – by His Spirit and in faith – you are able to give love to Him and to one another. In fact, without God's love for us we could not possibly love God in return. And, without God's love for us there would be no love for one another. That is love "made complete among us." That is what happens when "we know and rely on the love God has for us."    Report

StreamingFaith.... » SF Relationship... » Christians and ... » WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK LIKE?

(please select) Forums Home |- Search Forums |- Active Topics |- Unanswered Posts User Options |- Sign In |- Join this community |- Forgot Password Thanksgiving |- What are you thankful for? Christians and Politics |- Should Christians vote? |- Should Pastors endorse political candidates? |- Has the church become too political? Streaming Faith Discussion Board |- The Future of the Church |- Does Prayer Work? |- How Has Streaming Faith Impacted Your Life? |- What Kind Of Leader Do You Have? SF Relationships |- Should Christians Date Non-Christians? |- Christians and Divorce Health and Wellness |- Taking Care of the Temple |- Diet and Exercise |- Eating Right Current Events |- Holiness |- Race Relations Today The Bible |- What version of the Bible do you use?