True Love and How to Walk in It: Chapters 16 & 17

Chapter Sixteen
LOVE ALWAYS PERSEVERES

Perseveres …
to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement

What a perfect definition of God’s love for us. God knows that the devil is a constant influence in our lives against the influence of Him. So many people find reasons not to trust God. So many people don’t want to change their habits or behaviors to let God in. So many people think we have to follow rules to follow God and some don’t see the benefit of following God even in the practical sense. This is nothing new but has existed since the serpent came into the Garden of Eden. Yet God persists in His love for us and in our submission into His loving arms.

James 1:25 (Amplified)
But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience).

Stand strong. The enemy is going to come at you like a storm - full of force! He is not a wimp. He knows how to use our fears against us to make us afraid to step out on the path God has set for us. He knows how to use our habits against us to become addictions. He knows how to manipulate our feelings to cause us to become selfish, to become hurtful, to become resentful, to become morally loose, and to become hateful and full of spite. But all of those are tools of the devil and cannot stand up and defeat the grace of God. We have choices in this life. We can choose to let Satan use us as puppets to do his bidding or we can become heirs with Jesus and help bring others to God. But remember if we are following Jesus the devil has put a bull’s eye on our backs. But don’t be afraid - be ready. Stand firm.

Ephesians 6:12-19 (Amplified)
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God, And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.
Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].
And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.

Chapter Seventeen
LOVE NEVER FAILS

Fail …
1 a: to lose strength: weaken b: to fade or die away c: to stop functioning normally
student) as not passing

I think the biggest point to make in love never fails is that the devil knew who Jesus was and he thought the best way to defeat Him was actually to just get rid of Him and His influence. But the greatest thing happened through the devil’s own plan…because of Jesus’ death and then of course His burial and resurrection, we were delivered from the snare of the devil. The devil no longer has power over us. We have been delivered. Why? Because God would not let us die. He would not give up on the children who thought they knew better. I always think of the story of the Prodigal Son. His father never gave up on him returning. The bible says "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness [for him]; and he ran and embraced him and kissed him [fervently]" (Luke 15:20). Look at that verse closely…”while he was still a long way off” that meant his father had been looking for him. God is constantly looking for those who He can bless, to those who will turn to Him and make Him Lord of their life and accept Him as their Father and that He loves them.


Romans 8:27 (Amplified)
And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will.

Just as the shepherd who left the 99 to find the 1, God seeks to find everyone who releases themselves from the devil and seeks His forgiveness and love. He rejoices at every turned heart and every repentant soul. He loves us all!
The world would say sacrifice the few for the many, God says sacrifice none, I want them all! To God none of His creation are collateral damage. To God we are the lost and the saved. He wants the saved to seek the lost and bring them back to Him.

Mark 16:15 (Amplified)
And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race].

One way to bring those to Christ is to be an example of Him:


John 13:14-16 (Amplified)
If I then, your Lord and Teacher (Master), have washed your feet, you ought [it is your duty, you are under obligation, you owe it] to wash one another's feet.
For I have given you this as an example, so that you should do [in your turn] what I have done to you.
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, A servant is not greater than his master, and no one who is sent is superior to the one who sent him.

Philippians 2:5 (Amplified)
Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]

God sent Jesus to earth in human form so that He could be a true example and sacrifice for us. Jesus came with the same weaknesses we have. And He overcame them. That is our example. We do not have to let our flesh control us; we should be controlling our flesh. With Jesus authority was taken away from the devil and given back to us - just how God had intended it from the beginning.

1 John 4 (Amplified)
1BELOVED, DO not put faith in every spirit, but prove (test) the spirits to discover whether they proceed from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world.
2 By this you may know (perceive and recognize) the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [actually] has become man and has come in the flesh is of God [has God for its source];
3 And every spirit which does not acknowledge and confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh [but would annul, destroy, sever, disunite Him] is not of God [does not proceed from Him]. This [nonconfession] is the [spirit] of the antichrist, [of] which you heard that it was coming, and now it is already in the world.
4 Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.
5 They proceed from the world and are of the world; therefore it is out of the world [its whole economy morally considered] that they speak, and the world listens (pays attention) to them.
6 We are [children] of God. Whoever is learning to know God [progressively to perceive, recognize, and understand God by observation and experience, and to get an ever-clearer knowledge of Him] listens to us; and he who is not of God does not listen or pay attention to us. By this we know (recognize) the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him].
8 He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.
9 In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique [Son], into the world so that we might live through Him.
10 In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another.
12 No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!
13 By this we come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we abide (live and remain) in Him and He in us: because He has given (imparted) to us of His [Holy] Spirit.
14 And [besides] we ourselves have seen (have deliberately and steadfastly contemplated) and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son [as the] Savior of the world.
15 Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God.
16 And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.
17 In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection].
19 We love Him, because He first loved us.
20 If anyone says, I love God, and hates (detests, abominates) his brother [in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen.
21 And this command (charge, order, injunction) we have from Him: that he who loves God shall love his brother [believer] also.

Chapter Fourteen
LOVE ALWAYS TRUSTS

Trust
1 a: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something b: one in which confidence is placed
5 : a charge or duty imposed in faith or confidence or as a condition of some relationship

Matthew 27:43 (Amplified)
He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now if He cares for Him and will have Him, for He said, I am the Son of God.
(one of the thieves on the cross to the crowd)

Jesus trusted God with everything. Jesus trusted God’s vision to send Him to earth so that His death would bring about redemption. We have to remember, when Jesus came to earth, He came in the physical body of a man. He was not a god in the sense of Him having or being able to do anything we can’t (except through His faith in God). If that was the case, Him being an example or being put in circumstances that we might go through would be irrelevant, His power as god would protect Him.
But He didn’t, He came in the body of a man and because of His trust in God; He had the faith and power to do the things He did, to do the miracles He did. That is why God tells us to come to Him as little children (And said, truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all]... (Matthew 18:3).

Matthew 19:14 (Amplified)
But He said, Leave the children alone! Allow the little ones to come to Me, and do not forbid or restrain or hinder them, for of such [as these] is the kingdom of heaven composed.)

Children trust and believe their parents to tell them the truth and protect them. God wants us to know that He is the Truth and He will protect us. I like to think about people in isolated countries who are poverty stricken and their lands are full of sickness and death. Why do you think there are so many reports of miracles in those areas? Because when they hear the Word, they believe! They trust it to be true and trust in God to do what His Word says. They trust in the hope that all the horrors they see they can be redeemed from. They don’t have anyone telling them “it didn’t work for them”, “God is teaching them something”, or “that isn’t for today”. They hear the Word and they believe it, trust it and they receive it.


Luke 17:6 (Amplified)
And the Lord answered, If you had faith (trust and confidence in God) even [so small] like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, Be pulled up by the roots, and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.

Mark 11:22-24 (Amplified)
And Jesus, replying, said to them, Have faith in God [constantly].
Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain (circumstance), Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].

We have to trust and know that what the Bible says is true, which in turn means we have to believe what Jesus said is true.
To find salvation you have to trust that believing in Jesus is the only way. Why would it not be true with everything else that the Word says?


Psalm 91:14 (Amplified)
Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].

Chapter Fifteen
LOVE ALWAYS HOPES

Hope …
1: to cherish a desire with anticipation
2 archaic: trust
transitive verb
1: to desire with expectation of obtainment
2: to expect with confidence: trust

God expects with confidence His victory over the devil. Why? Because it has already happened! God knew the outcome before it even played out. But He let the Jews know that hope was coming. He sent prophets and prophecies to give His people hope that He had not forgotten them. That God was there for them and only wanted/wants the best for those who love Him, who choose to follow Him and let Him be all we need. He never gives up on us. No matter how old or how far off the path we may be/get His hope is in our salvation.

1 Peter 1:3 (Amplified)
Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

We can look at it this way, Jesus is our hope! If we do not have Jesus, what are we hoping for? We are living for the moment, trying to squeeze everything out of it we can. We are scared of death and not existing anymore. But when we have the hope of Jesus we know that there is something beyond now. We know that there is something to look forward to besides what we have here. We have a future. The devil wants us to only focus on the here and now and obtain what we can while we are here and that we cannot let anyone get in our way. Satan has limited time and he knows it. But with Jesus we can rest in the knowledge that life doesn’t stop with our physical death but continues on for eternity. And with Hope (earnest expectation) we know that the Word is Truth and what the Lord has promised us we can have!
Jesus is our example. We should be acting like Him. When we are doing what God wants us to do, the enemy will send a storm to try and hinder us from our assignment. Stand firm; do not let the devil have his way. We are soldiers in the army of the Lord...so fight!

Psalm 71:5
For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence.

True Love and How to Walk in It: Chapters 12-13

Chapter Twelve
LOVE REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH

Rejoice …
to give joy, to feel joy or great delight

Truth …
1 a archaic: fidelity, constancy b: sincerity in action, character, and utterance
(3) often capitalized: a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality b: a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true c: the body of true statements and propositions
3 a: the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality

Luke 10:21 (Amplified)
In that same hour He rejoiced and gloried in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have concealed these things [relating to salvation] from the wise and understanding and learned, and revealed them to babes (the childish, unskilled, and untaught). Yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will and choice and good pleasure.

When we know the Truth there is nothing that should keep us from having joy! We can rest in the knowledge that God is here for us. He knows what we need and want before we even think it (Matthew 6:8). Just as He cares for the birds and the flowers how much more does He care for us(Luke 12)? He not only will take care of us in heaven but here on earth, during our life time here, helping us to live abundantly (2 Corinthians 8:9). These are the truths of the Word. Our lives should reflect that truth, which is what is going to make people want to come to Christ.

2 Corinthians 9:8 (Amplified)
And God is able to make all grace (every favor and [earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].

There is going to be opposition from the enemy, but that is when we have to remember and rejoice in the Truth of what Christ did for us and what that means in our lives, here on earth and for our eternity.

John 8:32 (Amplified)
And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.

We need to remember the enemy is out there searching for those to destroy. He will use the Truth of the Word and twist it to serve his purpose. We need to be in the Word continuously so that we know the Truth. Most Christians believe what they believe because that is what they have been taught since childhood. That is awesome when you can be brought up in the Word, but we need to dig into it and see for ourselves what the Word says to us.
Is there ever a reason to tell a lie instead of the truth? Maybe sometimes we feel we might need to say a “little white lie”. But the thing about that is, that it is still a lie. I struggle with this with my children in regards to the traditions and myths of our society. Now I am not going to say how you handle these situations, for myself I have asked people who I feel are true disciples who I have seen to be Godly examples, how they handled it and I pray that the Holy Spirit lead me in wisdom.

Proverbs 28:26 (Amplified)
He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident of his own mind and heart is a [self-confident] fool, but he who walks in skillful and godly Wisdom shall be delivered.

We just need to make sure we are not saying things just to keep ourselves comfortable or out of trouble. The truth is always better than a lie. When we lie, eventually it always comes back and gets us. Keep the door closed to the lies of the enemy (John 8:44).

Chapter Thirteen
LOVE ALWAYS PROTECTS

Protect …
1 a: to cover or shield from exposure, injury, damage, or destruction : guard b: defend

Numbers 6:24 (Amplified)
The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His (approving) countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden to protect them. Some of you may be asking how does that protect them; sending them out into the unknown to work and toil for everything (Genesis 3:17). If they had stayed in the garden they could and probably would have eaten from the tree of life (Genesis 3:22 & 24), giving them immortality which would have condemned them to an eternity full of sin without the possibility for redemption. That would have left all of us trapped for eternity in an evil state. And in that, Jesus could not have made the ultimate sacrifice.
God guarded Noah, the only man at that time to have His heart. He guarded Him by having Noah build an ark for protection from the coming flood (Genesis 7:1-6:8).
God sent Moses to free the Israelites from Pharaoh. He guarded them by day and night and crushed Pharaoh and his army (Book of Exodus).
He protected David from Saul (1 Samuel 23 & 24). He protected Daniel from the lions (Daniel 6:16-21). He protected Lot from the sin around him (Genesis 19:15-23). He protected Jesus from Herod when He was a child (Matthew 2:13-15). Those are just a few examples of His Glory and His faithfulness to those who follow Him. These are not just children stories or stories from history. They are examples of what He does for all of those who believe Him now, just as He did then. He is our Father! Fathers are supposed to protect and love their children. They teach us how we should be, to make decisions that help us grow and learn. He gave us the law to protect the Israelites from falling into sin and He sent Jesus so save us from it.

John 3:17 (Amplified)
For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.

Reread Psalm 91! That encompasses everything God does for us. Those who trust in Him and say “He is my Lord, my refuge and fortress, on Him I rely on and Trust”, God will deliver them from the snare of Satan and law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). We can find refuge in Him. We will be able to watch the destruction of the enemy and those who follow him. His angels guard us from harm; they guard us wherever we go. God says that if we will hold on to Him we will get the best of care. When we trust Him, He will answer when we call. He will be with us always and rescue us from evil and give us a long life and bring us salvation. (paraphrased by me). Hallelujah! How can we read the Psalms and doubt His love for us? How can we look at Jesus’ sacrifice and doubt His love for us?

Luke 4:10-11 (Amplified)
For it is written, He will give His angels charge over you to guard and watch over you closely and carefully;
And on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 (Amplified)
Yet the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen [you] and set you on a firm foundation and guard you from the evil [one].

1 Peter 1:5 (Amplified)
Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God's power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.