Deut. 3:22 ...God is the one fighting for you
Deut. 4:31...God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you
Deut. 20:4...God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you
Deut. 33:27...God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms
Joshua 1:9...God is with you wherever you go.
2 Sam. 22:33...God is my strong fortress
2 Chron. 30:9...God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.
Ps. 33:12...Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord
Ps. 46:1...God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Ps. 54:4...God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.
Ps. 56:9...God is for me.
Ps. 59:9...God is my stronghold
Ps. 62:8...Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Ps. 65:9...You (God) visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; The stream of God is full of water
Ps. 73:26...God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever
Ps. 73:28...the nearness of God is my good
Ps. 84:11...God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory
Ps. 116:5...God is compassionate.
Isa. 12:2...God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.
Jer. 3:23...God is the salvation of Israel
Hab. 3:19...God is my strength
Acts 10:34...God is not one to show partiality
Rom. 8:31...God is for us
1 Cor. 1:9...God is faithful
1 Cor. 14:33...God is not a God of confusion but of peace
2 Cor. 1:18...God is faithful
1 Tim. 4:4...God is good
Heb. 6:10...God is not unjust so as to forget your work
1 John 1:5...God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all
1 John 4:8...God is love
1 John 4:16...God is love
According to the Bible...God is all those things. And, most importantly He IS love.
The Bible also defines love for us:
...Love is patient
...Love is kind and is not jealous
...Love does not brag and is not arrogant
...Love does not act unbecomingly
...Love does not seek its own
...Love is not provoked
...Love does not take into account a wrong suffered
...Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth
...Love bears all things
...Love believes all things
...Love hopes all things
...Love endures all things.
...Love never fails
So, love is all those things.
Beyond that...we have a "picture" of what love looks like. Love is Jesus hanging on the cross for us to save us from the painful effects of the consequences of sin in our lives.
And, so why does the world...think this (below) is love?
...Love never fails
So, love is all those things.
Beyond that...we have a "picture" of what love looks like. Love is Jesus hanging on the cross for us to save us from the painful effects of the consequences of sin in our lives.
And, so why does the world...think this (below) is love?
"Love Hurts"
by Nazareth (ironic name for the band!)
Love hurts, love scars, love wounds
And mars, any heart
Not tough or strong enough
To take a lot of pain, take a lot of pain
Love is like a cloud
Holds a lot of rain
Love hurts......ooh, ooh love hurts
I'm young, I know, but even so
I know a thing or two
And I learned from you
I really learned a lot, really learned a lot
Love is like a flame
It burns you when it's hot
Love hurts......ooh, ooh love hurts
Some fools think of happiness
Blissfulness, togetherness
Some fools fool themselves I guess
They're not foolin' me
I know it isn't true, I know it isn't true
Love is just a lie
Made to make you blue
Love hurts......ooh, ooh love hurts
ooh, ooh love hurts
What could the church...and the world have done wrong to make people believe that it is love that hurts us?
LOVE doesn't hurt. Sin does.
LOVE doesn't scar. Sin does.
LOVE doesn't wound. Sin does.
LOVE SAVES.
What are you teaching your child that love does?
Next time you are being tested...ask yourself if you are teaching your child that...love is patient, kind and that it does not act unbecomingly...that it is not provoked or take into account a wrong suffered...
Or...are you teaching your child that...love hurts, love scars, love wounds and mars, causes a lot of pain, and that it's like a cloud that holds a lot of rain...
Do your children walk away from a tough interaction with you feeling that love is like a flame that burns you when it's hot and that...love is just a lie made to make you blue love hurts...ooh, ooh love hurts...
Remember...the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour...through you, Mom and Dad. Predators go for the sick, the weak, and the young. Will you use that Biblical rod (which was a weapon used to kill predators most like the modern gun) to protect your child from that roaring lion? Or, have you weakened your child with that rod? Have you made them an "easier kill" for that roaring lion?
And, remember...it would be better for you to have a stone tied around your neck and tossed into a river...than to be doing the wrong thing with your children...
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