From: "Beverly French" <frenchb@vcss.k12.ca.us>
To: "Heritage" <gheritage@juno.com>
Subject: Home Again!  Sunday Greetings to All
Date: Sunday, May 20, 2001 7:36 AM

Do you remember all the Jesus bumper stickers that were around in the 70's?
Like "Honk if you love Jesus", etc.  I remember someone being asked, "How do
people know we are Christians?"  The answer that was given was, "By our
bumper stickers."  Of course, it was said in jest, but how do people know
that we are Christians?  Scripture tells us it is by love that people will
know that we are Christians.  It is Love who sets us apart!  It is a love
that is completely different from man's kind of love.  It is agape;
unselfish, selfgiving, impartial -- God Love.
1 John 4:7-8 tells us,
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who
loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not
know God, for God is love."

1 Cornithians 13:4-8 tells us what love is, what it is not and what it does,
"Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and
is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not
provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in
unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things.  Love never fails..."

"If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law [law of our King], according
to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing
well."  James 2:8  [Margin note.]

"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for
one another." John 13:35

Christ's love is the standard,  "This is My commandment, that you love one
another, just as I have loved you."  John 15:12

"And may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another,
and for all men, just as we also do for you."  1 Thessalonians 3:12

Did you notice the "for all men"?  Scripture tells us not just those who
love us,
"But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those
who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in
heaven..."  Matthew 5:44-45

"But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate
you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
Luke 6: 27- 28

And in 1 Thessalonians 5:15, "See that no one repays another with evil for
evil, but always seeks after that which is good for one another and for all
men."

Christians are a new creation, sanctified, set apart, being conformed to the
image of Christ who is the person of love.  "We love because He first loved
us."  1 John 4:19

"But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been
perfected.  By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he
abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked."
1 John 2: 5-6
If we abide in Him, how can we do anything else but love because Love
Himself abides in us!

"But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies
of Christ's victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance
of the knowledge of God everywhere."  2 Corinthians 2:14  Amplified Bible

All praise to our loving Lord.  Amen!