Feeling Discourage?

Sometimes unexpected and bad things happen. The Lord is in control and he knows what the outcome will be. Do not depend on your emotions and focus on the Lord. The Lord is good in all ways.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. — Isaiah 41:10 

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. — 2 Corinthians 12:9 

 

Why Miscommunications Happen

People show their love through different ways by what they do and know. Let us say if a person loves receiving gifts they probably love giving them as well. Or if the person love doing things for others that means they love it when people do things for them. If a person likes hearing nice compliments and positive reinforcement, and appreciation from others, they would also do that to others too. Or if a person love physical touch, they would also give or show it to others as well.

If those reciprocation are not supported, then they will feel unloved and hurt. This is one of the fundamentals of human behavior that people keep missing out on because of the miss match and understanding.

I have been reading about Gary Chapman's book on the 5 languages of love and it totally made sense to me. It just does not touch on the couple's level but on all human interactions and relationships. I also believe that you can have more than one kind of love language but one could stand out more than others.

People automatically show their love by the way THEY LIKE IT but not ask how the other wants to be loved. It is a big mistake humans make all the time. Maybe this thinking is foreign to others and they don't know or even are aware of it. People love to assume. For those who got it, you can tell their relationships are pretty smooth and lovable. They got it down.

To those who has not, one needs to ask what the other wants and how to improve on the relationship. Again and again, I am seeing how right the bible is: Put others First before yourself. Love is not selfish, self first, not having an ego, and thinking about me, me and more me. If that is the case, than the relationship is only but a one way street.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
 Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
not looking to your own interest but each of you to the
interests of the others. — Philippians 2: 3-4

What is Storge Love?

“The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise, we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”—No Man is an Island, Thomas Merton

The kind of love that falls under storge—familial love—looks different for each of us. Some families kiss each other on the lips. Others publicly groom one another like a troop of chimps, picking at one another’s blemishes.

Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. — Exodus 20:12

We all have our way of being together. It may not look like love to someone from the outside, but this is part of how clans communicate love—like a particular food made at a specific time of year—or phone calls between a father and son over the results of a football game.

The way you learn to give and receive love among family members is complicated. Many couches have been worn out in psychiatrists’ offices because of these dynamics. But love is there.

But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. — 1 Timothy 5:8

While familial love is usually reserved for those closest to us, the call of Christ on our lives is to share even this with the rest of the world. Maybe try sharing your heart, life, and joys with someone for a while. See if love doesn’t grow!

Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man
are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.
— Psalms 127:3-5

Questions:

· What is one way you can show a family member you love them? Especially if you haven’t for some time, consider what they may appreciate and do it!

· If you were to outdo someone in showing honor, does it bring honor to you or them? What is one way you can show honor to a family member today?

PHILEO/PHILIA LOVE

“Love is the only force capable of transforming
an enemy into a friend.”
—Strength to Love, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Do you have a friend who is willing to speak truth into your life? I’ve had a couple. I know what it means to be loved, accepted, and challenged because of these friends. I know if I called, they would come running. That’s brotherly love.

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer,
that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see,
how can we love God, whom we cannot see? — 1 John 4:20

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us.
So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 

If someone has enough money to live well and 

sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion
—how can God’s love be in that person? — 1 John 3: 16-17

The idea of brotherly love comes from the Greek word phileo, which is commonly used to talk about love in the Bible. It speaks of deep affection and a willingness to do whatever is needed for your “brother.”

And phileo doesn’t have to be between guys! Obviously, you can have this type of relationship with sisters or anyone you consider to be family. Specifically, the bond between brothers is what the word is trying to get at. It’s the perfect example of this phileo type of love.

I believe Jesus has this in mind when He calls us to love others. Is it the entire picture? No. But it is part of it. Having this kind of love for strangers, enemies, and neighbors is challenging. It is also life-changing. It changes them, us, and the rest of the world.

Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other.
Love each other as brothers and sisters.Show brotherly love.
Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. – 1 Peter 3:8

Questions for thoughts:

· It is easy for us to think those closest to us know how we feel about them. What is one way you can go out of your way to express your love for your ‘brother or sister’?

· The term ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ doesn’t always mean blood relative. How would your relationship change if those we love are blood relatives? Why do you think that is?

· Is your relationship with God compromised by your feelings about a ‘brother’ or ‘sister’? What can you do to make it right?

What is LOVE?

Love is complicated. It is an emotion, and it is an act of the will. It can be a verb and a noun. It touches everyone, but not everyone is in it. You can’t always feel it, but you still know it’s there.

Love has become the code word for any number of things. It can mean acceptance, forgiveness, always being kind, not being mean, tolerating someone, telling someone the truth, and a whole host of other activities.

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love
—and the greatest of these is love. 

– 1 Cor 13:13

What did Jesus mean when He said “love the Lord your God,” or “love your neighbor,” or “love your enemy”? It is important to understand that there are different words for love in the original language of the New Testament.

 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, 

which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

— Col 3:14

We will look at four—phileo, eros, storge and agape. Eros would be reserved for particular relationships, but if you look at phileo, storge, and agape, you get a clearer picture of what Jesus was talking about.

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.
Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
Love each other with genuine affection,
Greet with brotherly love. and take delight
in honoring each other. — Romans 12: 9-10

Love looks like all those. Love looks like being the type of person who is willing to share this kind of love with those around them, regardless of their worth.

Questions for thoughts:

· What keeps you from loving others?

· What is one thing you can do to show someone you love them TODAY?

· What is one thing you can practice to help you experience the love God has for you?

You are Beautiful! Did you know that?

Good Morning and Happy Sunday! I just wanted to tell all of you that you are beautiful to me!

Here is a song from me to you! It’s not perfect but I hope it will do! Be well and be confident because the Lord has your back! 

https://www.smule.com/p/557717826_3477284206

Love Forgives

Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered.

It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs

that others do. — 1 Corinthians 13:5

There’s a lot of faulty thinking about forgiveness. The act of forgiveness gets watered down, abused, and cheapened.

What is forgiveness really? 

Take a quick test by answering “true” or “false” to the following statements:

1. People should not be forgiven until they ask for it. ( T / F )

2. Forgiveness includes minimizing the offense and the pain that was caused. ( T / F )

3. Forgiveness includes restoring trust and reuniting a relationship. ( T / F )

4. You haven’t really forgiven until you’ve forgotten the offense.  ( T / F )

5. When I see someone else hurt, then it is my duty to forgive the offender. ( T / F )

If you study the Bible, you’ll discover that all five of those statements are false. 

Before we talk about what forgiveness really is, we have to talk about five things forgiveness is not:

1. Forgiveness is not conditional. 

In other words, it’s not based on somebody else’s response. Real forgiveness is unconditional. It’s not earned or deserved. It’s not based on some promise that you’ll never do it again. If you say to someone “I’ll forgive you if . . . ,” that’s not forgiveness. That’s bargaining.

2. Forgiveness is not minimizing the seriousness of the offense. 

There is a big difference between being wounded and being wronged. Being wounded is something that’s accidental and does not require forgiveness. Being wronged means someone intentionally meant to hurt you, and that requires forgiveness.

3. Forgiveness is not resuming a relationship without changes. 

The Bible teaches that forgiveness and restoring relationship are two different things. Forgiveness is instant. Restoring relationship means building trust over a long period of time. Forgiveness is your part in reconciliation. But for a relationship to be restored, the offender has to demonstrate genuine repentance, make restitution whenever possible, and rebuild your trust by proving he or she has changed over time.

4. Forgiveness is not forgetting what happened. 

It’s impossible to try to forget something. When you’re trying to forget something, what are you focusing on?

The very thing you want to forget. The key isn’t forgetting. The key is learning to see it through the lens of grace and God’s sovereignty and discovering how he can turn bad things into good in your life if you’ll trust him and respond in the right way.

5. Forgiveness is not my right when I wasn’t the one that was hurt. 

Only the victim has the right to forgive. You can’t forgive people who haven’t hurt you.

There is always a cost to sin. And there is always a cost to forgiveness. That’s why you have to understand what forgiveness is not before you can look at what forgiveness really is.

DISCUSS:

1. Does it make it easier to forgive someone when you consider that forgiveness is unconditional? Why or why not?

2. Of the five things forgiveness is not, which do you struggle with the most? Explain why.

SOURCE:

https://my.bible.com/reading-plans/11859-love-forgives
Love Forgives by Pastor Rick Warren