From: Beverly French [frenchb@vcss.k12.ca.us]
Sent: Sunday, May 08, 2005 6:31 AM
To: Heritage
Subject: May 8, 2005 Greetings

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God...for God is love." 1 John 4:7-8

Concerning God's love, agape, I would like to share some of my findings. "Vine's Expository Dictionary" says that agape is "the characteristic work of Christianity." It is unselfish -- selfless love. Scripture tells us it IS patient, kind, gentle, good, meek, rejoices in the truth, bears all things hopes all things, endures all things. It IS NOT arrogant, unbecoming, jealous, boastful, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness. The Apostle Paul tells us this in Galatians 5 and 1 Corinthians 13.

Vine tells us, "Christian love has God for its primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to his commandments." "If you love me, you will keep My commandments." John 14:15 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me." John  14:21 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love." John 15:10 "But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected."  1 John 2:5 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments." 1 John 5:3

Vine goes on to tell us, "Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclination, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered."

"Love seeks the welfare of all:
"Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification." Romans 15:2

And love works no ill to any:
Romans 13:8-10, "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law... 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor, love therefore is the fulfillment of the law."

Love seeks opportunity to do good to 'all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith.': "So then while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." Galatians 6:10"

Love is not a feeling, love is a life. It is the Life of our Beloved Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who has loved us and selflessly and freely given His life for and to us. How can we not in all humbleness yield ourselves to the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives to bring us to completeness. Listen to the Apostle Paul's prayer:

"For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with  all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to  know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up  to all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19

Is this not the desire of our hearts? So all that is left for us is to say, "So be it!"