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Post by Natalie on Jul 10, 2018 8:03:54 GMT -6
I've been reading a couple of books by Jen Wilkin on God's character. The first book is 10 characteristics that are only of God. The second book is 10 characteristics of His that we are to reflect. It's also what we studied the past year in our women's Bible study. To know and love God, we must know who He is and what He is like. Another idea from her books is that instead of asking "What does God want me to do?" ask "Who does God want me to be?" If God's character is being developed in us then we will do what God wants us to do. Whether that be to marry a godly person, choose an appropriate place to live, choose a vacation spot, or decide where to go on a date night.  One of my favorite chapters is on God's goodness. He created everything and called it good. It couldn't have been anything else! He is good, and so what He creates and does is good. And not just good, but perfectly good because everything is also rooted in His holiness. So, He is perfectly good, perfectly just, perfectly omniscient.... What do you think of when you think of God's character? Do you think on it much? Have you ever done a study of His character? |
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Post by stormyknight on Jul 10, 2018 9:02:41 GMT -6
@natalie I've done a fair amount of contemplating on the word 'love'. "And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him." 1 John 4:16. The whole of the Scriptures, if distilled down, can be described in one word, Love. 1 Cor. 13:4-8 gives us a deeper meaning to the word Love, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs(*). Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." All other characteristics of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are derived from love. God is love. When He taught us, "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Duet. 6:5, He is essentially saying, love love. The more perfect we become in loving, the more bold we become in loving, giving us a better grasp on how to 'love our neighbor as ourselves', so not only do we learn to love love, we learn to love loving(others, ourselves).
The semantics of the word love couldn't be more pure as 1 Corinthians 13 lays out. It's similar to the semantics of the word 'AM' in Exodus 3:14. God said "I AM WHO AM", or 'I EXIST' or 'not only do I exist, but I exist outside any kind of box you might want to put me in. You cannot comprehend how it is I exist, but I exist, I AM'. So, God IS, and God is LOVE, and LOVE never fails. Knowing that love never fails should give us strength to love all the more. That no matter what life puts in front of us, if we love our way through it, we will eventually become perfect in love, "...and we will be changed. For the perishable must be clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality." 1 Cor. 15:52-53 Imperishable = never fails = love = God
May the Love of our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with all His Children and also those who have not yet heard His call. In Jesus' Holy Name, I pray. amen.
*This is so humbling right here. Our Heavenly Father keeps no record of wrongs!!!!
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Post by Natalie on Jul 10, 2018 11:50:20 GMT -6
So true! And we can show God's love to others through characteristics like grace, mercy, faithfulness, patience. I suppose that is a way to abide in love, by living it out. We love others because He first loved us.
I once heard someone share 1 Cor 13 and substituted "Jesus" for "love". Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind, He does not envy, He does not boast...It was something I pondered for days. I had never heard it put that way. It was always put as how we should live. (How many weddings is that read at?) And, with God's help we should try, but we will fail over and over. However, God never fails! He is love that is perfect. I look forward to eternity when it will be true in us.
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Post by stormyknight on Jul 10, 2018 14:49:29 GMT -6
What really frustrates me to no end, is that I know this!! But, can I do it? nooo. I try, and I know I'm better than I was a year ago or ten years ago, but not by much by my gauge. I can identify with Paul so very much on this. I know what I need to do, but I can't seem to do it.
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Post by barbiosheepgirl on Jul 11, 2018 12:47:17 GMT -6
This is kinda parallels the thread that mike started about The Days of the Son of Man, when a bit later in the thread mike posted about 1John 4:17-18... But too there is a list here mid way down page 3 of various scriptures of Who is God? unsealed.boards.net/thread/1174/restoration-all?page=3Here is part of the list for an example: |
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