Agape

English is so limiting sometimes.
I love how ancient Greek has four words for love, distinguishing between the different types.

Storge- Affection. Natural Love, like that of a parent for a child. The love within a family.

Eros-  A passionate, intimate love. Not a lasting one, usually, but a burning one.

Philia- Love between friends. it is a commitment, demanding loyalty, respect and friendship. It is a love of something good and enjoyable.

Agape- This, this is the hardest and best love. It is unconditional love, love that is sacrificial and deep and lasting. This is beyond Philia or Eros. This is the love that lasts through thick and thin. This is the word Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 13. This is the word used to describe the Love of God to us.

Agape.  It is a hard word to live out.

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.  ( 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

How many times have we heard these words read? At weddings, at church. We know them. But the word is Agape.
Suddenly it is different. These words apply not only to those we make an effort with, but to those we dislike. Those who have hurt us. Those who have not been consistent to us.

What a hard creed.
I say these words,  but can I live them?
Can I have Agape  to those who I dislike?Because the two don't work together.
I am struggling with that. How do you love the unlovable?  It is not easy to do.
I can love God ,who gave His life for me, with my whole heart. That is impossible not to do.  But because I love Him, there is this matter of Agape.
It, though, is the description of His love for us. He loved Me in the depths of my sin, in the blackness of my heart, and that is where he died for me, for us.
Agape.
It's a process.
Not an easy one. One that I fall in, mess up in, want to give up on sometimes. And yet he loves me anyway.

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

If we, we who were loved in our unlovelyness, do not love the unlovable, who will? Who will Love them, be the physical demonstration of the love of Christ? We are the hands and feet of Jesus.
Agape.

Love:)

R

How He loves us!

                                                               
I say something to my self about how I'm not good enough, or whatever, and He speaks. Every. Time.

Beautiful Girl. My beautiful girl. Don't say that. You are every bit good enough, pretty enough, able.  I created you, remember? You don't determine your worth. Others most certainly do not. I do. Why isn't that enough for you? You are covered in my blood, I loved you enough to die for you. That's how much you are worth to me. You are worth dying for.
You were worth dying for even when you were still buried beneath the deepest of your sin. Even then, I loved you. And held out my hand to you.

How could he love me? Me, with all my failings. I ask. He speaks.
Oh, my precious daughter, princess girl. You are the dearly loved daughter of me, your Abba and King. How can you say what you do about something I made? You would not ever, ever say it about anyone else. How can you say it about your self? Oh, my daughter. I love you. You are mine. Let me tell you until you finally hear it. No one, and nothing, will ever change how much I love you. I think you are enough. Precious girl.Brave girl. Strong girl. Beautiful girl. You are a work of art in progress. I'm not done with you yet!

"Because you are precious in my eyes,
   and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
   peoples in exchange for your life.
 Fear not, for I am with you.."
(Isiah 43:4-5a)


He's not just saying this to me. It's every bit as much to you, my friends. We all fall in to the trap. He offers this to us all. How many times do we forget?
Thankfully, he's patient, even when we are not. This is my God. This is your God. This is the King of the Universe. This is for you. Right here. Right now.  You can't be good enough by yourself- but he Loves you. ANd when you accept that, accept Him, you are His. And that will never change.


Love:)

R

What wonderous love is this - American folk hymn

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!
 
When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down
Beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.
 
To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb,
Who is the great I AM,
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free
I’ll sing His love for me,
And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
And through eternity I’ll sing on.

Indeed!

Love:)
R

Your love is deep -Jami Smith

Your love is deep,
Your love is high
Your love is long,
 Your love is wide

Your love is deep,
Your love is high
Your love is long,
 Your love is wide

Your love is deeper than my view of grace
Higher than this worldly place
Longer than this road I've traveled
Wider than the gap You've filled

And Your love is deep,
Your love is high
Your love is long,
 Your love is wide

This is the depth, height, length and width of His perfect love.

Love:)
R

Beauty: Redifined

The lie.
The lie is huge.
"You aren't beautiful. You are too fat, too skinny. Too tall, too short." On and on and on.The voices surround you........and you listen. I do. I do, and I shouldn't.

I'm not going to tell you that it doesn't matter. Because you won't listen. And, besides, it's not okay to tell you that it's okay that you're not good enough. Beacuse you are good enough!
   Our culture has this idea of beauty. We define beauty in a certain way, and we have this mental checklist that we go through, trying to check it all off.
  Here's the thing. You can't measure up. No matter how hard you try, as long as you're going through this checklist, you'll never make it. No one will.
 Here's what I'm going to ask you to do.

Redefine your idea of beauty.

Because, see, beauty is relative. Our definition and ideas of beauty are dependent on outside ideas of culture and time and place.
 Here's what I'm saying. God made you beautiful. Weather or not you fit your specific cultures definition of beauty, it doesn't matter to Him.  His definition of beauty is way different than yours . He looks at you living a life honoring to Him, and sees beauty. He looks at the way you serve. Who you are.

How beautiful upon the mountains
   are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
   who publishes salvation,
   who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." (Isaiah 52:7)

  This person probably doesn't have pedicure-model feet. But their feet are beautiful because they are fulfilling the purpose the were made for. They are consistent with the design of their creator.
 That is what makes them beautiful.

When you fulfill your purpose, that is beautiful.

Not only that- you are beautiful inside and out because you are created in the image of the Living God. You are created to be like Him- you are beautiful because you are His handiwork! No one denys the beauty of natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon, or Mount Everest- but you are far morr important to God! Far more Loved. You are so beautiful! You are the beautiful workmanship of your God.
 When you're tempted to believe the lie this week, remember who you are.


Love:)
R

Ps: If you want more on this topictalk to me,or  read Uncompromising, by Hannah Farver. She is an amazing young women who is truly in love with her Savior.  Look it up! :) R