Love Never Fails, Like Never
I recently watched an amazing movie that inspired me to spend sometime looking at God’s love for us. The movie is called, Jesus Revolution. It follows the life of a few men. One who had been a preacher for many many years, one who was high schoolER-searching, and another who was a former hippie turned “Jesus Freak”. Each man was on a journey to live with purpose/ on purpose- though may not have been aware of it at times. The movie is about a revolution that took place in this country but without spoiling it for you, I just want to relay the theme that resinated with me throughout the whole reenactment of history, Love Never Fails!
1 Corinthians 13:8 “Love never fails.”
All love comes from God. He is love; He is love in its purest form. Because of Him, the world, even in the darkest parts, still has access to love.
In the English language, love is only translated one way – LOVE. But, in Greek, there are several words for love. Each one functions totally different but because of our Creators love, we are able to love.
Let’s look at four Greek words for love: Eros, Storge, Phileo, and Agape.
Let’s look at four Greek words for love: Eros, Storge, Phileo, and Agape.
Euros can be defined as sensual or erotic love. This is the love between a husband and a wife. It is a free giving of oneself sexually. Now don’t get squirmy, I’m not gonna stay on this one for long but it’s important to know that this love functions in the physical realm. As with all love, giving is required in euros love. Euros means the giving of one’s body to another.
Storge is an affectionate love, one of belonging. It’s the type of love one has for a family and good friends. It’s an unforced natural love. Siblings don’t always express this love, but it’s there. I can remember having a friend who was from a large family. They fought all the time about silly things and then they got over it. But, don’t you dare fight with any of them because you will then be fighting all of them….they had a natural storge love for one another and outsiders do not have the same belonging as the natural family does.
Phileo can be defined as a love of brother. This is a love that most often exhibits in close friendships. It’s a generous affectionate love where the two seek to make the other happy. This love is developed through time and friendship, it does not just occur. But, when it is developed, it is oh so sweet between friends. I Samuel 18:1-318 “After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathanbecame one in spirit with David, and he lovedhim as himself. 2 From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.”
Agape love is what we will focus on because this love is love in the highest form.
Agape love a superhuman source that is energized by a good God in a complete way. Agape is only available to manifest if you first have Holy Spirit within you because God is the sole source of this type of love.
We all probable know Mark 12 but did you realize this is what agape is?
Mark 12:30-31 TPT
“You are to love the Lord Yahweh, your God, with a passionate heart, from the depths of your soul, with your every thought, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment. And the second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.’ You will never find a greater commandment than these.”
As I give God my all, I talk with Him, I sit with Him in silence, I open the depths of my heart to Him something happens. I begin to see Him. He is the purest form of love and as I begin to see Him, I begin to see/feel/exude His love. It’s a melting kind of love that melts away fear, frustration, discouragement, condemnation, imperfection. I then start to love whom He loves, me, in a way only He can show me how to do by His radiant love. I then can love my neighbor this same way, as I love myself which is based on His love. The love of God-the love for God-agape = then exudes from deep within me to others.
1 John 4:16-21 KJV
“And we have known and believed the love (agape) that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”
When I have it in order, love God, love me whom He created, loving my brother is so simple!
Agape is a mirror of God’s own ceaseless love for us. The result of this love is a capacity to love others.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Colossians 3:12-14
The more we grasp that our identity comes from the author of pure love, the more we are able to impart this type of love to others. Agape is the love that transforms relationships because even if it is not reciprocated, it still changes even the air around us. Agape sees the Christ in you, the Christ in others, and Christ's love in all it does.
The other day, we were told about a home that was being sold. It was in a neighborhood some may describe as “rough”. As we approached the property, we could see the 100-plus tires all over the yard, the old cars, the trash piles, the tumbleweeds, and somewhere, through the mirage of piles, there was a beat-up house. Now, we personally like buying these kinds of houses, so this was right up our alley.
As we drove around it a few times, we noticed a woman working on the porch. She was putting clothes in a washing machine that sat on the front porch. Its source of water was the water hose strung across the yard. She displayed no joy on her face as she noticed us circling the property. Jeremy stopped in front of her laundry facility and asked her if he could ask her a question.
As she approached our car, I heard in my “heart,” “hold her hand”. Well, based on what my physical eyes could see, she was not looking to be my best friend; she was hurt, angry, in pain, but I’ve never let that stop me from loving people in the past, and I wasn't gonna let it stop me this time.
I just had to wait for the moment. J asked her a question, but as she answered, he interrupted with words that brought her to tears, “Hey, you are worthy.” That was just love-filled, life-filled words that took her from a shadow-hovered place to a place of tears and release. As she began to pour her heart out, I gently grabbed her hand and held it. She didn’t refuse the touch.
At the end of our conversation, he concluded, “Your life is changing now. You are on a new path.”
We heard the Christ within, saw the Christ in her, and sent forth Christ's love to her.
I am so thankful to have been at that place, at that time, with those people!
II Corinthians overflows with the who/what/when/how of Agape! Love in all of these verses can be translated “Agape“.
I Corinthians 13:7 The Message Bible
“Love never gives up. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.
8-10 Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
11 When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
12 We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.”
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The New Birth is the most wonderful Miracle to begin with! Romans 10:9-10 shows us how to receive the new birth.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
This begins the first Miracle for you. NOW, you have unlimited resources available to you.
You now have the holy spirit inside of you, coursing through your veins and behind every fiber of your being.
You have access to all nine of the manifestations of holy spirit. 1 Corinthians 12
You are seated in the heavenlies. Ephesians 2:6
You have Christ in You, the hope of glory! Colossians 1:27
You have direct access with God! Ephesians 2:18
Let’s walk this journey together! God has called you for Such A Time As This!
1. We believe in one God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Creator of all things. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
2.We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of Mary, crucified, died, was buried, resurrected, ascended into heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of the true God and Father. (John 3:16)
3. We believe the Bible in its entirety to be the absolute inspired Word of God and the infallible rule of faith and conduct. It’s a spiritual book, written by The Spirit for the spirit. (II Timothy 2:15)
4. We believe in the future return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ( I Thessalonians 4:13-18)
5. We believe in the personal salvation of Believers by believing in the heart and confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord. (“Romans 10:9 and 10.”)
6. We believe in sanctification, redemption, justification, and ministry of reconciliation and righteousness as sonship rights given at the time of the new birth through the Word of God and by the Holy Spirit.
7. We believe in divine healing, through faith in the Name of Jesus Christ, via the shed blood and broken body, and that healing is included in the redemption and available at any time during life.
8.We believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as outlined in Romans 10:9-10. We believe that every born-again person has the ability to operate all nine of the manifestations of the holy spirit. Also, we believe in the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit. (Ephesians 4:7)
9. We believe in the Christian commission (Matthew 28:19) by speaking boldly, tenderly, and lovingly to all of humanity.
10. We believe in the forgiveness of sins as outlined in scripture by confessing our sins to our Heavenly Father, God and that forgiveness is given at that moment. (1 John 1:9)
11. We believe the thief, the devil, comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy and credit any of these actions as belonging to him. In complete contrast, we believe that Jesus came so that we might have life {Zoe – life in all of its fullness} and have it more abundantly. He gets credit for this abundance in life. (John 10:10)
12. We believe that God desires greatly to work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)
N.O.W – No Ordinary Woman
No Ordinary Woman.
N.O.W.—Woman, God created you to be more than ordinary.
He created you to be Extra-Ordinary.
When you received His gift of Holy Spirit you were no longer just a body and a soul, you became a three-part being of Body-Soul-Spirit; complete, a perfect work through the miracle of the New Birth!
This is our movement, daughter of God, to stand out from the crowd: to boldly proclaim I am His and He is mine. To see signs follow you, to see miracles performed through you, to be His Wonder! To rely only upon your God. To expect only from Him. To be independently dependent on Him alone. He is enough for you.
We are His masterpieces and we radiate with His divine love everywhere we go. You were created to live in this day-time-hour. Created for such a time as this and together we will move mountains!
In Him We Live exists so that women who love God can know and believe that they were born for such a time as NOW.
Our Code
1. Jesus is the center and the Head of The Body. It’s All About Following His Directive (Colossians 1:18)
2. We believe big and take action. It’s all about activated faith All About Activated Faith (James 2:14-26)
3. We honor one another to glorify God. It’s allAll About the Romans 12 Experience
4. We are Lovers, not Haters. It’s All About loving on others (Mark 12:31)
5. We think in Color. It’s All About how God inspires us by working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13)
6. We don’t back down. It’s All About submitting to God and watching the Devil flee in terror (James 4:7)
7. We stand approved before God. It’s All About knowing scripture and how to apply (2 Timothy 2:15)
8. We choose our thoughts. It’s All About knowing which thought to lead captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)
9. We will express gratitude. It’s All About keeping a thankful heart (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
10. We move from a place of power. It’s All About using the right tools afforded us through Jesus Christ, His Father, The Holy Spirit, and The Bible. (Ephesians 6:10-18)
11. We speak to our mountains (ALL OF THEM). It’s All About the power of our words (Mark 11:23)