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| Love |
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10:27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."  True love exceeds the boundaries of your heart and spills over onto your soul.
There are different types of love:
1. Physical love (eros)
2. Family Love (storge)
3. Affectionate Love ( philia)
4. Love of Choice (agape)
Physical love is very self explanatory. It is the love between a man and woman and a beautiful thing. And you can combine Family love with it, because under normal circumstances the physical love brings family love. Family love is very much under attack by satan today.
Affectionate love speaks of a warm hearted, spontaneous affection, liking, attractive appeal, and friendship. I have affectionate love for my dog, Tank, it's a warm hearted love, he is a friend. However, God never commands us to have this kind of love for everyone, and that's a good thing, because our reactions to different people are often beyond our control.
Agape love is not only the love between God and man. It is also used for the love between people. It's divine in the sense that God commands it, the love of choice.
Agape love isn't always easy. Sometimes it's a sacrifice, in the moment. But applying this love of choice in your life towards others is a command that has great reward. Yes, God commands it, but we always have the choice of applying it. It is more than speaking words, it is an action that we choose to use or not use. It is loving beyond ourselves and not expecting anything in return. The reward? Allowing that same love from God to overflow from your heart onto your soul.
Agape love is hard, it's taking time away from self and giving it to someone else.
This is a testimony from my learning this love.
Late one night during the summer, when my son was about 12 years old, we came home from his baseball game. Very, very tired, having to go to work the next morn, we crawled into bed quickly. Then I hear, "Mom!" I yell back, "Go to sleep, it's late!" A little later I hear " Mom, I need to tell you something!" My thought of reaction at that point was to tell him to wait, he could tell me in the morn. During thinking that I hear "Mom, come here, I need to tell you something!" Quite honestly, I got up, not happy in giving my sleeping time to go listen.
I walked into his room and tears are flowing down his cheeks. He looked at me and said " Mom, if I die tonight, I don't think I'm going to Heaven" I crawled into that bed with him, we talked about God and he asked the Lord into his heart.
Now, you could say that's family love......no it wasn't. It was agape love, love of choice. I chose to go to him, he wasn't in physical pain, and I thought he just needed to tell me some silly something. But, in my choice of agape, loving him more than my sleep or my time, my son's salvation happened. This was his very soul, and I could have turned away easily that night, put him off until tomorrow. I learned a hard lesson that night. But in that lesson, I also learned a very important detail about Jesus. He is always there, he always has time, and I want to be like Him, not me.
We are commanded to love......agape love. It's not just words, it's action!
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| To add a comment to "Love" |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Amen Cinders! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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Thank you Father
and
AMENNNN
love it |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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Stevie: We can have all that other stuff in the Bible......but HIS word says "the greatest of these is Love".....without love we are nothing.....mere words, and you know how far that floats. Thanks!
Shelley: Yes, Thank you Fahter........love ya lady! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| That is wonderful, Cindy! Thank-you so much for sharing it! ((((((LoVeS!)))))) |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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Love is awesome, particularly agape! The Lord loves us w/agape! Unfortunately the English language lumps all loves under one word, very unfortunate. (Did you know the Inuits have at least 20 words for snow? We have one, so same story!) |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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Lou...I love you! Thank you for loving me! :)
True love exceeds the boundaries of your heart and spills over onto your soul.
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Ima: God loves us with agape love......how can we do any less? Love ya! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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Mike: you are so right! If I want to be Christlike......I have to have that particular agape love.....don't want the lumped up stuff :) |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Hollywood: I love you too!!!! It spills over huh? |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| MAN I AGREE WITH ALL OF THE THINGS U ALL ARE SAYIN' AND I THINK IT IS SO LOVELY AND AWESOME AND AMAZING THAT PEOPLE CAN LOVE SO MUCH AND ISN'T GOD JUST AMAZING WOW HE REALLY IS AMEN |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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Love is a powerful thing CindyLou...May we all have that AGAPE Love like our Heavenly Father ;o) |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| HEY CINDY I LOVE U VERY MUCH DEAR SISTER AND AGAPE LOVE IS VERY HARD AND I HAVE TO WORK AT IT EVERYDAY BUT I LEARN THAT IF I DO MORE FOR OTHERS THAN GREATER IS MY REWARD NOT ONLY IN HEAVEN FROM MY HEAVENLY FATHER BUT ALSO GET TO HAVE THE GRATIFICATION THAT I DID SOMETHING FOR SOMEBODY ELSE WHEN I COULD OF BEEN DOING SOMETHING FOR MYSELF BUT I LOVE TO THINK OF OTHERS ALL THE TIME AND LOVE GIVING OF MY TIME TO OTHERS AND BEING WITH MY FELLOW BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST JESUS AND I LOVE DOING THINGS FOR THE GLORY OF THE LORD AND I LOVE DOING ANYTHING THAT GLORIFIES THE LORD AND PLEASES HIM AND SHOWS HIS STRENGTH AND HOW STRONG AND MIGHTY HE IS CAN I GET AN AMEN AMEN AND WOW I JUST CANNOT BELEIVE ALL THAT HE DOES FOR US IT IS SO MUCH AND WOW I JUST CANNOT FATHOM HOW MUCH HE REALLY DOES LOVE AND CARE AND DO THINGS FOR US |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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He is always there, he always has time, and I want to be like Him, not me.
We are commanded to love......agape love. It's not just words, it's action!
OK You got me crying..... I WANT TO BE LIKE HIM, NOT ME!!! Father bring me closer to you, to your understanding so that your love continiously flows from me to everyone else....
I LOVE YOU SIS |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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rebekah: it is an awesome thing to put into action the love God has for us :)
MarJay: Yes, may we ALL have it, we have the perfect example in Jesus.....we just gotta walk the walk :) Love ya, my red crayon sis!
mstovall: Amen, it's action.....we gotta reach out, take our time away from self, and touch someone.......and watch what God does with it. I do love you!!!!!!! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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Just say "no" to lumpy love! lol |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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CindyLou, This is an awesome post about LOVE and the right SEASON for us.
Your Love is Showing.!
Love You Much...... |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| oooohhhh, gotta get some agape & give some agape! :) :) :) thanks for the reminder! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Baby, I know now what agape love is , you have shown it to me many times. You also have shown me physical love continuously, also the family love that goes with the physical. Baby, I love you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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Cindy,
this is a great lesson, personally sometimes or I should say most of the time I don't put that love into practice.
I can say it is hard at times because I feel that some people just don't give a who about anything and when you try to show that kind of love they look at you like you are from another planet.LOL
anyways, I thank God for his goodness and mercy and I pray like you that every day I would be more like Him and not like me.
Thanks. |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Agape love is the absolute greatest - nothing like it. Thank you for the post, Cindy. |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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Mike: hehehehehe, a new MC slogan
Just say NO to lumpy love!!!!!!!! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Terry: thanks so much....... love you much too!!!!!!! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Grammy: hehehehe.......wonderful to put into action isn't it? Love ya lady! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Ken: You've made it hard at times, LOL......but I gotta keep on........gotta, it's my choice because God keeps on with me. Yeah, the physical love, hehehehe, took me a while to figure out that you need those hugs, pats, and holding hands......that you never knew before. I love you with all my heart.....even when I don't like you ;) |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| In God's Hands: Ya know, I do know that feeling........but what I found is that if you keep doing it, someone's life eventually will be changed :) God bless you and thanks! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| panda: oh yes, it is.........and in showing that love to others, they see God :) |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Dan: yes, it is the fruit of the spirit! I will strive everyday for it to increase in me and not grow cold. Thanks so much! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| They sure do, Cindy!! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Love it Sister!! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| panda: that's what it's all about, amen sis? |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Doyle: thanks......gotta put God's love into action :) |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Agape Mucho bien senora Cindersbabe! Wow what love!!! Stu |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Gracias, mi amigo!!!!!!! Gotta show that love, Stushi, gotta put HIS love into action :) |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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Love in action saves souls!!
WOOHOO!!!!!!! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Bub; amen, it does!!!!!! And it also helps those souls to keep pressing on in the Lord when they don't have the strength :) wooooooooooohoooooooooooooo |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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I want the real stuff, not the lumpy stuff. So I say no to lumpy as well, lol. |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| restore: amen and amen!!!!! Love you!!!!! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| handmaiden: woooooooohooooooooooooo I love that JOY and you too! |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Stevie; yep, lumpy gravy and lumpy love is no good!!!!!!!!! Just say NO, hehehehehe |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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Cindy Loo Moo... that was the most beautiful way of explaining love that I've ever read.
Joey |
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| December 09, 2008 |
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| Miz Joey: thank you my dear friend....Love you!!!!!!!!! |
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| December 10, 2008 |
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| ((((((Cinders)))))) awesome words! |
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| December 10, 2008 |
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Agape [love] is the love of God. As the scripture points out: 21:17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love [agape: God's love] me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love [agape] me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love [philia: brotherly love] you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. God is love [agape]. That does not mean that God is defined by our concept of love [agape] but that our concept of love [agape] is define by God. If any one of us can love [agape] our neighbor as our self--from self--then it would only be because we are God. Since we are not God the attempt to love [agape] as God loves from our self is always met with absolute failure. We however are commanded to love [agape] as God loves because it is God who is in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. The love [agape] of God has been poured out in our hearts through His Spirit that dwells within us. If we do not change our minds about who we are in Him and who He is in us then we are doomed to live a very frustrating Christian life. We will expect our self to love [agape] like God when we should be expecting God to love [agape] through us. Best regards,
Craig |
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| December 10, 2008 |
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| (((((((((Donna)))))))))))))))) love ya!!!!! |
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| December 10, 2008 |
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| Craig: it is when we are open to God's love flowing through us that it happens...... |
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| December 17, 2008 |
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CindyLou, that's some pretty awesome testimony there. It just goes to show that God's timing is not always our timing nor are His ways ours and yes we do have to make choices and praise the Lord! you made a wise choice (perhaps with a little nudging from the Holy Spirit). Thanks for sharing; it was a blessing. |
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| December 18, 2008 |
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Teral: Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed it :) Spectrum: It was very hard for my husband to get past the wrath, to understanding the love. Thanks for your comment! |
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| December 21, 2008 |
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| Spectrum: amen and well said! |
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