Barbara's Bakin' N bits

♥♥♥ Have a very Happy Valentine's Day ♥♥♥

We know all hearts turn to love in this month, it is valentine month, mostly we talk about love in association with our mate, our love, but here we are going to talk about it concerning Brotherly love, and Love of God. Sit back relax , and pray that God will open your heart to this message as we read his words, and all about love. 

I started this lesson on love, many years ago, I have used it to teach various ages throughout the years, now I am using it for this devotion today. Visuals always help us to understand better, make us more aware of things being said, I pray you all enjoy it and let the words of God speak to your heart, my purpose is to show how mighty love is, the real agape love God talked about in his words. With each on of my little hearts there is a scripture, but I am condensing it for here, it was an hour lesson in person, so cutting back here and there, but in all it will explain the love of God for us, our love for him, and for each other. 

1. God is love: 1 John 4:8 "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

Those are some strong words here, and we see so many schisms in the church, that is not love, and that is not of God, we see here if we love, we are of God, where is your heart, search deep, find a place and time you accepted Christ and asked him into your heart. That is the very first step to find true love.

2. God Loved us: John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave, his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

We see just how much God loved us, now are we going to love him? you say how? Well by being faithful to him, what he says to do, where he says to go, being obedient to the word of God.

3. Love God: Matthew 22:37 " Thou Shalt Love the Lord they God with All thy heart." 

This is a commandment, and just one of the two Christ give us in the new testament. Let us keep it, let us cherish its meaning, let us love the lord thy God with all that is with in us, that is the agape love he put in us, other wise we could not love him with all our heart. We would love self, and all things concerning us.

4. Love One Another: John 13:34 " A new commandment I give unto you that ye love one another. As I have loved you, that ye also love one another." 

I do believe this is what lacks in most of our churches today, loving one another, for some reason everyone wants the attention, they want to be the head of all, they want to in the spot light, this is of the flesh ladies, it is not of God, he wants us to be humbled and to care and love for others as he always did, you never seen Jesus wanting the attention, he was always giving, giving and then he gave everything he had for us, how can we not be giving to each other, when Christ give so much for us. 

5. Love Our Neighbor: Matthew 22:39 " And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love they neighbor as thy self." 

This is still talking about loving each other, who is your neighbor, everyone around you, not just the family next door, but everyone in your community, love them, reach out to them, and most of all talk to them about your Jesus, let them experience the love of God first hand through you, Lord help us to be all like Jesus, may every one we meet see him in us, reach out and touch some one, tell them you love them, and care for their soul, it will touch them, even if they do not accept it, it will reach the heart.

6. Give Jesus Your Heart: Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." 
                                            
First you have to give Jesus your heart, then he pours 
love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. So let us LOVE one another. May we go away from this lesson saying, wow the love of God truly is something wonderful, marvelous, and I have it. May we show other love daily, and love the lord first and foremost.