What is Love?

What is love? God wrote it in His word very clearly!!!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away."

What is the fruit of the Spirit? God wrote it very clearly!!!

Galatians 5:22-23

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

If you do not love God's way and you do not have the fruit of the Spirit you do not belong to God and are on your way to hell.

All born again believers have this love and have this fruit. If we fail in one of these we are convicted by the Holy Spirit Who lives in us and will repent to be cleansed.

1 John 3:9-10 " 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.…"

God wrote this to believers for when they falter and sin;

1 John 1:9

"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

What is the difference between an unbeliever and a believer?

The believer hates their sin, confesses to be cleansed and grows in holiness. The unbeliever defends their sin, becomes angry when confronted with their sin and does not want to change. Often the unbeliever will execute revenge on anyone who will tell them they are sinning.

The believer has grief over sin and confesses it to be cleansed, while great joy returns to them when they have returned to fellowship with God.

The stubborn unbeliever doubles down, becoming more sinful when told their need to repent. They resist God and even the consequences of their sin do not change their mind.

We are meeting more of these types of unbelievers in the world. There is a small remnant compared to the population of the world who will trust in Christ in these last days. Most unbelievers who hear the gospel or who have been in the church many years will not listen and will harden their hearts.

Ephesians 4:18

"They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart."

Hebrews 3:8

"Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,"

Matthew 13:14-15

"Indeed, in their case, the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears, they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’"

2 Timothy 4:3

"3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"

We are living in the days just like the days of Noah! Everyone did what was right in their own eyes and no one would listen to truth.

We must not allow those who are stubborn and rebellious to change our hearts. They will attempt to cause ungodly reactions in us so they can feel justified in hating us. Ironically enough they do not hate themselves for what they do but would choose to hate us if we reacted badly to their evil.

We cannot allow the devil to get a foothold in our lives by responding to the pokes and jabs of evil people. God tells us to ignore them, leaving any response to Christ Who lives in us.

It is only pride that motivates us to respond, to have our say. It is faith that leaves it with God that He would do it His way in His timing.

Hallelujah!!!! God can do a better job than we can!!!!