Corrupted LOVE vs. Pure LOVE

The world teaches us that love is a combination of lust, desire, material and bodily fulfillment. Nothing could be less true. Love isn't an emotion, it isn't about receiving, it is about the exact opposite. For some reason the world commercializes on love, but no amount of cards, candies and flowers can truly be love. 

Love isn't a feeling, although it can and should cause feelings. Love isn't a noun at all or an adjective at all, love is very much a verb, and an action verb at that. 

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them." ~ 1 John 4:16b

It sounds like from the quote above when read in the English language that love is an adjective, but think about the word, LOVE, as a verb. 

When God Breathed. Love brought the world into existence. When God breathed God blew air into the lungs of the human creatures and thus gave life.  When God breathed, we were sent out into the world to subdue (not conquer) it and multiply. 

When Jesus breathed His last breath, we were redeemed from our fallen nature. When God breathed the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles of Jesus Christ and allowed them to have gifts from God to use for the Love of God. This is solely by the GRACE of God.

By the definition of Grace to the right, we start to understand a way that we can show Love to others. Love isn't deserved. Love isn't earned. Love is definitely not an an entitlement. Love is a grace. An action by which we did nothing to deserve. God gave us God's love first, and we are called to spread this Love (action) to the world! 

• We are called to do this.
  • Feed the hungry. (cf. Matthew 25:34-40)
  • Clothe the Naked. (cf. Matthew 25:34-40)
  • Give drink to the thirsty. (cf. Matthew 25:34-40)
  • Welcome the stranger. (cf. Matthew 25:34-40)
  • Visit the imprisoned. (cf. Matthew 25:34-40)
    
  • Visit the sick. (cf. Matthew 25:34-40)
    
  • Bring justice for the fatherless (cf. Isaiah 1:17)
  • Correct all oppression. (cf. Isaiah 1:17)
  • Plead the widow's cause. (cf. Isaiah 1:17)

Even though this is an obligation to God, we do this not out of a sense of obligation, but out of the Love of God. For God strengthens us to do God's Work. It is grace we give for the grace we have freely received! 

If you as followers of Christ have ideas on how we as the ConneXion can provide grace in our community, our state, and even in our world, to those who need. We need your ideas! Please share them in the form below! We want to show the Love of God . 

We are called to, "Do all the good (we) can, by all the means (we) can, in all the ways (we) can, in all the places (we) can, at all the times (we) can, to all the people (we) can, as long as (we) ever can." John Wesley

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