What Is Love According to the Bible?

God is rich in unfailing love to all who love Him, trust Him, confess their sins, experience His forgiveness, and obey Him wholeheartedly. Love is the greatest virtue. It is the chief fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in and through our lives.

When I’m at a barbeque and spot a bag of original Lay’s, I’m known to walk over, grab a couple, and remark, “I love potato chips!” When I’m at that same barbeque and spot my oldest granddaughter, I’m known to run over, give her a hug, look straight into her eyes, and say, “I love you, Havilah!” Is my love for my granddaughter the same love I have for a potato chip? Of course not!

The word “love” has an extremely wide spectrum of meanings. So, what is “love” according to the Bible?

What Love Is Not

1. Love is not God. Instead, God is love (1 John 4:8; 1 John 4:16).

2. Love is not sex, but couples express their love physically in sexual ways, including intercourse, which sometimes leads to the birth of a child. Biblical examples include (Genesis 4:1; Genesis 4:17; Genesis 4:25; Genesis 29:23; Genesis 29:30; Genesis 38:2; Ruth 4:13; 1 Samuel 4:19; 2 Samuel 12:24; 1 Chronicles 2:21; 1 Chronicles 7:23; Isaiah 8:3).

3. Love is not fearful (2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18).

What Love Is

1. Love is the greatest virtue (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13, especially 1 Corinthians 13:4-8). It is the chief fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in and through our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).

2. God is the source of all true, giving, ongoing love. God’s love for us is fully expressed through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 5:8-10; Titus 3:5).

God’s love is also fully expressed by adopting us as His children (John 1:12; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5; 1 John 3:1). In both cases, God loves us with an everlasting love (Psalm 103:17; Jeremiah 31:3).null

3. “Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another” (2 John 1:6, NLT). Indeed, the greatest commandment’s second half is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18; Leviticus 19:34; Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31-33; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:8-9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8).

The greatest commandment’s first half is to love God wholeheartedly (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 10:12-13; Deuteronomy 11:13; Deuteronomy 13:3; Deuteronomy 30:6; Joshua 22:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27).

Biblical Examples to Follow

1. Like Job, I cling to God, who loves me and is in control, in the midst of my deepest pain (Job 1:21).

2. Like Ruth, I care loyally for my loved ones (Ruth 1:16).

3. Like Jehoshaphat, I face trials and danger with songs of praise for God’s faithful love (2 Chronicles 20:21).

4. Like Nathanael, I am known by God and loved (John 1:49).

5. Like the Samaritan Woman, I am satisfied because God knows me, loves me, and fills me (John 4:42).

Biblical Commands to Obey

1. I rejoice in God’s incredible love for me (Deuteronomy 7:7-8; Psalm 31:7; Psalm 59:16; Psalm 107:8; John 3:16; John 15:10-11; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; Titus 3:4; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 4:9-10).

2. I love God with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind (Deuteronomy 6:5; Joshua 23:11; Mark 12:30; 2 Thessalonians 3:5).

3. I love God and obey His commands (Deuteronomy 11:22; Joshua 22:5; John 21:17; 1 John 5:3; 2 John 6).

4. I love God’s people (John 13:35; Romans 12:10; 1 Corinthians 13:8; Colossians 1:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; Philemon 4-5; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 Peter 2:17; 1 John 2:7; 1 John 3:11-17; 1 John 4:20-21; 2 John 5-6).null

5. I love my spouse (Genesis 29:20; Ecclesiastes 9:9; Ephesians 5:25-28; Colossians 3:19; Titus 2:4).

6. I love my children (Proverbs 3:12; Proverbs 13:24; Luke 15:20).

7. I love my relatives and friends (Ruth 2:11; 1 Samuel 18:1; Romans 12:9; Romans 13:8-9).

8. I love my neighbors as myself (Leviticus 19:18; Leviticus 19:34; Matthew 22:39; Romans 13:8; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8).

9. I love those in need — widows, orphans, the poor, immigrants, refugees, and others who are downtrodden and oppressed (Leviticus 19:33-34; Deuteronomy 10:19; Proverbs 29:7; 1 Corinthians 13:3; 1 Timothy 5:3; 1 Timothy 5:16; James 1:27; James 2:5; 1 John 3:17).

10. I hate evil and love what is good (Psalm 34:14; Proverbs 11:27; Amos 5:14-15; 1 Timothy 6:11; 1 Peter 3:11; 3 John 11).

11. I do not love the things of this world, which are temporal at best (Psalm 119:36; Ecclesiastes 5:10-11; Matthew 6:24; Mark 10:21-22; John 12:25; 1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5; James 2:5; 1 John 2:15).

12. I choose to love the Lord, live for Him, and enjoy His rich blessings (Deuteronomy 30:19-20; Joshua 24:15; Psalm 25:12; Psalm 65:4; Proverbs 22:6; Isaiah 56:4; Romans 6:16-19).

Biblical Truths to Affirm

1. I believe God offers incredible, deep peace to those who love Him and obey what He commands (Psalm 119:165; Luke 2:14; 2 John 3).

2. I believe God is jealous for my wholehearted commitment and love (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 4:24; Deuteronomy 5:9; Deuteronomy 6:15; Joshua 24:19; Psalm 78:58; Ezekiel 5:13; 1 Corinthians 10:22; 2 Corinthians 11:2; James 4:5).

3. I believe God is rich in unfailing love to all who love Him, trust Him, confess their sins, experience His forgiveness, and obey Him wholeheartedly (Exodus 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 7:12; 1 Kings 8:23; Nehemiah 1:5; Psalm 25:10; Psalm 32:10).

That, my friends, is what biblical love is and what it looks like in our lives. Enjoy!

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WHAT IS THE REASON FOR HAVING A WIFE?

Apart from providing a mean for ‘physical needs’ and for ‘having children’, the main importance of a wife for a husband are:

• Wife provides emotional & mental support:

Whenever a husband comes back to home daily in the evening from the office, it is her only who welcomes (not literally) him at the house door. We, husbands, forget all the day’s stress and tension whenever we see our wife like this,

I mean, we husbands, are in a hurry to return to our homes in the evening just to see the smiling face of the diva (i.e. wife).

• Wife is the best buddy for a husband:

She is the one, a husband can always reside on. He can share all his emotions, fears, doubts, plans, funny moments, comments etc. with her. Hence a wife is the best buddy to which a husband can open his entire heart.

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There is one small story which I feel appropriate to share along-with this answer:

Once in a lecture/seminar on ‘human relations’, the anchor calls one of the wives from the audience to the black board. He asks her to write down names of all the persons on the blackboard who matter to her in her life.

So she writes names of husband, children, other family members, some distant relatives, friends etc. – some 25 names or so. Everybody including her and the audience is anxious to know what type of activity is this.

The anchor now gets serious and asks her to wipe out any 10 names out of this assuming, God forbid, they are no more in her life. She gets a shock but on the insistence and request, she figures out the names to wipe. With a heavy hand, she starts with ‘not so close friends’, distant relatives and like that.

The environment has now become serious. He then directs her to rub all the names leaving any 5, again assuming that they don’t exist anymore in her life.

Now she was reluctant to do so but again as per his insistence, she tries to delete names of all other family members and relatives – while deleting, some good memories had become alive to her. Now there are only 5 names left on the board – husband, 2 children and her father & mother.

Now it seems that Anchor had yet not finished. He then requests her to delete any 02 names further, again assuming their existence is no more; leaving the names of the persons she cannot think to live without. At this time, she was in tears and was not ready to move further. But again just for the sake of completing the activity, she proceeded to delete the names of father and mother. It was a very difficult move for her to prioritize amongst her near and dear ones. Now there are only 3 names on the board – husband and 2 children.

As it was not sufficient, finally the anchor asks her to leave any one name on the board, again assuming the rest 2 are no more with her, God forbid. She was already heart broken and shattered. But hearing this, she was in deep shock and was unable to decide. Anchor again pleaded her to move ahead and asked her to delete any 2 names by leaving only 1 name without whom she cannot imagine to live at any cost. With full of tears, crying and with trembling hands, she goes ahead and wipes the name of her children slowly. She was inconsolable.

At this moment of time, anchor comes forward and addresses the audience and says,

A lady can live without her friends, she can live without her relatives, she can live without her parents, she can even live without her children but she cannot leave her husband. A husband is the person in this world whom a lady loves the most.

This is the importance of a wife to a husband. Come whatever may, a wife would be the biggest asset, best gift and best companion & soulmate a husband can have in this world.

1 dead following shooting, crash in Grand Rapids

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By FOX 17 News14h

Grand Rapids police are investigating a homicide on the city’s south side Friday morning.

It happened just after midnight near Hall Street and S. Division Avenue.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1lHUnr-TjtP1ji2Ftf9ORtVHlC7JxkJqw

A 911 call reported a multiple-vehicle crash near the intersection.

Officers found two vehicles in the area when they arrived.

One of the vehicles was unoccupied, while the driver of the second vehicle seemed to be unconscious and suffering from a gunshot wound.

The driver was transported to an area hospital but was ultimately pronounced dead.

The Kent County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

Police are withholding the man’s name until his family is notified.

Detectives with the GRPD Major Case Team are encouraging anyone with information to contact investigators directly at 616-456-3380 or anonymously through Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.

LET US RAISE OUR RED BLACK AND GREEN FLAGS IN HONOR OF HAITI PRESIDENT

LET US RAISE OUR RED BLACK AND GREEN FLAGS IN HONOR OF HAITI PRESIDENT

President Jovenel Moïse, 53, was killed in the attack while his wife, first lady Martine Moïse, was shot but survived.

Mr Moïse, a former banana producer, was sworn into office in 2017 after the nation had been leaderless for a year on the promise of fighting corruption.

He had been widely criticised for ruling by decree after the Parliament was dissolved a year ago amid failure to hold elections.

https://fb.watch/v/2T0RTEEE7/

Ms Moïse survived the attack and was evacuated to Miami for treatment of her injuries, according to Haiti’s ambassador to the United States. She arrived at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport on Wednesday afternoon, The Miami Herald reported.

The president is survived by three children.

Members of the Haitian police and forensics mark a bullet on the street as they look for evidence outside of the presidential residence on July 7, 2021 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (AFP via Getty Images)
Members of the Haitian police and forensics mark a bullet on the street as they look for evidence outside of the presidential residence on July 7, 2021 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (AFP via Getty Images)
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How the president was assassinated

A group of gunmen entered the president’s private home about 1am local time on Wednesday morning, according to officials.

He was shot and fatally wounded. Bullet casings were found outside the home while traces of gunshots were seen on the exterior walls, according to video footage from Reuters.

Witnesses said the shooting continued for about 30 minutes and included “explosions”, according to The New York Times.

The neighbourhood, Pelerin 5, rests atop the hills overlooking Port-au-Prince, about an hour’s drive, or 16.2 kilometres from the capital city.

Gunmen were ‘well-trained killers’

Haiti’s envoy to the US said the assassination was carried out by foreigners who were “well-trained professionals, killers, commandos” while the country’s Prime Minister Dr Claude Joseph said they were an unidentified group of individuals, “some of whom were speaking in Spanish”.

Mr Joseph’s cryptic reference to Spanish-speaking attackers came amid reports of video footage showing the men claiming to be agents with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The national language of the country is Haitian Creole, similar to French-based Creole, with influences from Spanish, Portuguese and English.

“DEA operation. Everybody stand down. DEA operation. Everybody back up, stand down,” one of the men with an American accent is said to have yelled in English.

Ambassador Bocchit Edmond said at a press conference they were “fake DEA”, based on his impression from security camera footage.

Security forces conduct an investigation as a soldier stands guard at the entrance to the residence of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (AP)
Security forces conduct an investigation as a soldier stands guard at the entrance to the residence of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (AP)
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Department of State spokesman Ned Price denied the US had any involvement in the murder.

“The Hattian ambassador himself has dismissed these allegations, these reports are absolutely false, the United States condemns this heinous act, these false reports are nothing more than that, false reports,” Mr Price told a news briefing.

Where the investigation stands

Authorities closed the international airport and other ports of entry to prevent the escape of the attackers as the country was declared a “state of siege”, with businesses in the area ransacked following news of the assassination.

Story continues

PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS AND EAT OF THE FRUIT.

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This is what we stand in, https://youtube/yqOMs4CcSLA here at the African People of Love/RBG NATION
The Mother, is the All Knowing, All life comes from her.
She is before man, man comes from her. She is not God, she is the Creator of God (The Male Leaders), SHE IS THE ALL!

“If you want to get what you’ve never had, you have to do things you’ve never done.”

Hey ,

There’s a phrase I want to share with you.

I heard it once and honestly, it hasn’t left my mind since.

“If you want to get what you’ve never had, you have to do things you’ve never done.”

And it’s brilliant because it’s true.
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​If you do the same things you’ve always done, nothing is going to change for you.
​
You’ll only have what you’ve always had…

But doing something new, something you’ve never done, isn’t easy. You need to leave your comfort zone and do something completely new with no guarantee of results.
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​It’s scary.

And I know that because I’ve done it!
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But guess what?
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​The minute I left my comfort zone my life changed.
​
​I went from earning minimum wage to earning 7 figures a year. And all I had to do was try something new. ​
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​But leaving your comfort zone doesn’t happen overnight. It’s more like a process.
​
​Think of a butterfly.
​​
That butterfly wasn’t born beautiful. It went through a lot to get there.
​
Before then, it was just a caterpillar.
​
But it had to go through a long and difficult process.
​
​A metamorphosis.

The caterpillar wraps itself up in a cocoon and begins the process of becoming a butterfly. It takes a lot of time and effort but it manages to completely rebuild itself.
​
​And the results are 100% worth it!

If you put in the hard work, the effort, and the time, you can come out the other side bigger, better, and more awe-inspiring than you ever were before!

It won’t be easy.
​
And it will definitely be scary.
​
But you need to do it in order to become something more.

You need to do it to get what you’ve never had.

Everyone’s process is different. But everyone who’s been through it will tell you the same thing.
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​It was worth it.

Your partner in success,

Loveintheflesh…..