Love God And Sex - Andre Cronje (year 2 reading books .TXT) 📗

26. Love persuades to action and not mere diplomacy.

27. No one who deeply loves has ever escaped the burden of a jealous heart.

28. He who forgives, seeks, and finds forgiveness for himself.

29. Love keeps the light burning, but money pays the bills.

30. Love makes second chances look like a new beginning.

31. The love of God is free and at the same time priceless.

32. Love is light that exposes darkness but covers shame.

33. Love is the spice of choice for healthy relationships.

34. Love covers many sins. But the wicked shows no mercies.

35. Whatever you bet on at supper, may haunt you at sunrise.

36. Love is the eyes of perfection in the sight of obvious flaws.

13. Love Wins

Many songs have been written about love. The whole world turns around on love. Te Amo, Je t’aime, I love you. Powerful words. There are so many ways to say it and countless ways to express it. Love is fuzzy red, true, but love can also turn cold blue. Love is sweet never bitter. Love is holy never perverted. Love is deep, but love can be shallow too. Love is kind and sometimes blind to everyone’s wrongs. Love is more than just a feeling and often sacrificial. Love is seen and felt the strongest on the cross. When you bless those whom you want to curse. When you show kindness to your haters. Love does not throw tantrums when you do not get what you want. Nor does it play the blame game when feelings are hurt. Love lets go to prevent a war of words that will destroy the fragile soul. Love is resilient and will not let go. Love seeks and finds problem-solving opportunities. Love is not arrogant, or full of pride, rather meek and gentle. Love is never forceful, slow to anger, and rich in mercy. Love can show up at anytime, anywhere, anyhow. Love can be you if you are willing to go the extra mile. Love is perfect, that’s why love wins all the time. Love is true and faithful and a shield as well as a sword. Love comes from the heart and is the loving nature of God in humankind.

But how will you know true love? Some say, love is nothing but a secondhand feeling. That is a lie. Love is more than romantic feelings, breaking up and empty promises. When the world falls into dark matters of depressions, wars, and lawlessness, it is love that will show you the light and way. When relationships end and marriages tear to pieces, it is love that heals. When families fall apart and friendship’s part, it is love that leaves room for a reunion. How do you show love to your loved ones?

But what is love? Jesus said, no greater love has a man than to lay down his life for another. This love he demonstrated to the whole world when he died on that cross for you. That is how much God loved the world. This is the love of God, how he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him will never perish? The Love of God our Father and the love of our Lord Jesus Christ is so amazingly beautiful and sweet. Jesus said to abide in his love. When you walk in love, you abide in his love. For it never fails to influence the loveless, the rude, the arrogant, the selfishness in others, without also perfecting your own weaknesses and failures, at the same time. Truth without love is surgery without an anesthetic. No matter how brilliant the doctor is, his reputation as a professional surgeon is questionable which also has a ripple effect on the medical profession. Truth is like a sharp knife. It is handy when you need to cut cheese or sliced bread, but if you are careless in pride the risk of injuring yourself or others is imminent. Telling the truth also in a malicious manner is a sure sign that you no longer value truth to heal, but rather to assassinate the other person. Truth without mercy can cause more hurt than good and being kind in truth is more important than being right out without mercy. Why be rude with the truth when you could be kind in love? Love and truth have a special bond that brings blessing to those who practice it and those who open their ears for instruction and reproof. Truth exposes lies and love covers the multitude of transgressions.

Take parents for example. A parent who leaves their children without correction does not love that child. Love will discipline a child to make him wise to life and the rod will not kill him, but much rather drive the evil and foolishness from his heart. The workplace has the same kind of law. The rod of correction often has a more severe outcome if one does not abide by the discipline of the workplace. You could get fired, dismissed, demoted, or despised, etc. But it is designed in such a way to reform or transform an individual for that specific environment. Often people complain and murmur against the government and law enforcers as if they are public enemies. It is a shame, though. But they are God’s servants for the good of the people. But if the people make the king angry or transgress the law, should they not fear the wrath of the king or state? These are a terror to the lawbreakers and not the obedient. My guess and instruction thus would be, think twice before you rumble with those in authority. They have the power to crush the oppressors and to establish peace and order for the good of all people. Even so, if the counselors of the king are wicked so will be the king’s actions and that of his servants towards the poor and needy.

Pray for your leaders for wisdom, kindness, and success that you may live a peaceable life under their reign. The hardest though is to keep walking in love. God also warns that in the end times the love of many will turn cold, for lawlessness will abide. You may have failed miserably, but by his Word, his love is restored and perfected in you like fresh bread. You may speak in the tongues of men, and angels, but if you lack love, you have become like instruments out of tune. You may have the gift of prophecy, you may fathom all mysteries, know all things, have faith to move mountains, but if you lack love, you are nothing. You may even give away everything that you own, and hand over your body to be burned, but if you lack love, you gained nothing. A new commandment I give you, that you love each other as I have loved you, so love one another. By this will men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another. Jesus

LOVE is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful, not proud, rude, or selfish, not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not gloat over the sins of others but takes its delight in the truth. Love bears up, trusts, hopes, and always endures never to fail.

LOVE is a beautiful Garment and fashionable in all seasons. Clothe yourself with love that they may know you are a disciple of Christ when you love the brethren.

LOVE is a strong shield that protects your heart from those who are unkind, jealous, hateful even from lusts, that you may walk in peace and holiness.

LOVE is a weapon of offense and defense, for your fight is a spiritual one, and you are more than a conquerer.

LOVE is a delicious fruit and a costly gift not to be despised when you lay down your life for another.

The first commandments is this: Hear, o Israel, the Lord your God is One Lord. LOVE the Lord your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first command. And to love your neighbor as yourself is second to it. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Though you speak with tongues of men and angels but have not charity, you have become as sounding brass and dripping tap. And though I have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries and knowledge, and have mountain-moving faith, but have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing. But prophecies will end, tongues will cease, knowledge will pass. Now your knowledge is partial, and prophecy partial; but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass. And the greatest of faith, hope, and love is love itself. We are of God. He that knows God hears us, but he who is not of God hears us not. By this, we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God. He that loves not knows not God, for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, that God sent his only begotten son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has torment, so he that fear are not made perfect in love. You love him because he first loved you. If anyone says that he loves God, but hates his brother is a liar. For he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God, whom he has not seen?

And this commandment you have from him, that he who loves God must also love his brother. But whoever hates his brother is a murderer and knows that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. So, you can perceive the love of God because he laid down his life for you. And so also lay down your life for the brethren. And whoever has these worlds’ goods, and sees his brother has a need, yet shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how does the love of God dwell in him? My little children let not your love be in word and tongue but in deed and in truth. So, you know that you are of the truth, and will assure your heart before him. Above all things have fervent charity among each other, for charity will cover a multitude of sins. Owe no man anything, but to love each other. For he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments says: you shall not