It's been my pleasure to have been with you on this brief journey of discovery into the truth about love. Here are some of the places where we have stopped to visit along the way. 1. True love is a principle - a rule of behavior that a person chooses to live by. (John 15:12/1 John 3:18)
2. The human heart or mind cannot originate it because the heart of man is by nature cold and dark and unloving. (Jeremiah 17:9/Mark 7:21-23)
3. Love does good and nothing but good but we must be good before we can do good. Real happiness is found only in being good and doing good. This means that there must be a change in the human character. Only God can make this kind of change in a person. (Jeremiah 13:23/Proverbs 29:18/3 John 1:11)
4. Everything good in men and women is the fruit of the working of the Holy Spirit; the operation of the grace of God through Christ in the person. (Galatians 5:22,23/Philippians 2:13)
5. There are two types of love - human love and divine love. Human love should draw its closest bonds from divine love. (John 15:9,10,5)
6. Human love is weak and changeable and divine love is deep and unchangeable not unconditional. There is one thing however which infinite love cannot do; it cannot requite the unrepentant wicked. Divine love is limited in its manifestation by the condition of a mind that has permanently chosen to reject it. (John 13:37, 18:25/Proverbs 6:16-19/Hosea 9:15)
7. Love for other human beings
a) is to be secondary to love for GOD
b) is only possible by loving GOD supremely (Matthew 22:37-39, 10:37)
8. Human love can only begin to bear its precious fruit after a human being is born again - converted by the power of God; when human nature is united with the divine nature and trained to grow heavenward. (John 15:4,5, 1 John 4:7)
Would you like to really experience true, pure love ? To be able to give it and to receive it ? Then you must be converted; born again.
What does this mean ?
In his conversation with Nicodemus, Christ explained the nature and importance of true conversion. He solemnly declared, Except a man be born again,--unless he receive a new heart, new desires, purposes, and motives, leading to a new life,--"he cannot see the kingdom of God."
He or she who is converted is no longer to be a willing subject to the enemy of Christ, to remain in subjection to the power of sin and self, surrendering to and cooperating with the flesh.
To be converted means to receive new desires, new purposes and new motives from GOD. It is referred to as being born again because it is the beginning of a new life with both the power and the desire to overcome selfishness which is the root principle of sin. It begins by beholding the love of GOD revealed in JESUS CHRIST on the cross. It continues by daily studying the character of CHRIST as revealed in the Bible. Ask GOD to forgive you for all your sins; to fill your heart with love for JESUS and give you new desires, purposes and motives. In this way you will begin a new life and a true, pure love experience.
© 2009 Tyrone Keels
www.issues-of-life.com
You have just been reading from the last page of a booklet entitled, "How To Recognize Love" This concludes the series and lays the foundation for the next post in a study entitled, "Marriage Counseling With The Wonderful COUNSELOR."
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