Deu 6:5

[NoviceBeliever]

Deu 6:5

(CLV) So you will love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your intensity.

(ESV)  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

(KJV)  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

(KJV+)  And thou shalt loveH157 (H853) the LORDH3068 thy GodH430 with allH3605 thine heart,H3824 and with allH3605 thy soul,H5315 and with allH3605 thy might.H3966

(YLT)  and thou hast loved Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might,

Yes, I hesitated to write this, so please don't condemn me for my words.

I have meditating on this topic for many weeks now on and off... Repeatedly listening to Ray's tapes on "Love"  and reading the transcript.
I understand the differences between Agapo and Phileo love and how it pertains to us and how we are to treat one another and love one another. But where I am stumbling is in my love for GOD. I have many people in my life that I love freely without reservation. But when I think about the way I love GOD it is not with my whole being.  Is this because this is the most important love of my life and that kind of love takes time? Is it because I am growing in my faith and understanding and not quite there yet? Or is it because that love that GOD offers us is so great that I feel like what I can return is so unworthy. Because believe me all I want is to feel this way about our Father. NB

[hillsbororiver]

Hi NB,

I can relate to your question because it is something I also struggled with, to me our Father seemed a distant authoritarian who expected no less than perfection from creatures born imperfect. I won't get into the church teachings that might promote this line of thought and perhaps it wasn't the same for everyone but for me this initial distance I felt in regard to our Father was leftover baggage from my earlier "religious" thought process.

Maybe Philip was wondering about this very same thing when he made this request;

Joh 14:8  Philip saith unto him Lord, show us the Father and it sufficeth us.

Joh 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

If we love Jesus we love His and our Father as they are One!

Peace,

Joe

[Marky Mark]

Hello Jill,I found some verse on love,hope you can gain some insight.
From the Amplified.


If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands. John 14: 15

Whereas the object and purpose of our instruction and charge is love, which springs from a pure heart and a good (clear) conscience and sincere (unfeigned) faith.
1 Timothy 1: 5

[Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good. Romans 12: 9

Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity). 1 John 3: 18

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]. Psalm 91: 14

He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. 1 John 4: 8

But if one loves God truly [with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, and grateful recognition of His blessing], he is known by God [recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by Him].
1 Corinthians 8: 3

As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe].
Psalm 103: 13




Peace...Mark

[mharrell08]

Is this because this is the most important love of my life and that kind of love takes time?

I would think so, yes

2 Pet 1:5-8  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Is it because I am growing in my faith and understanding and not quite there yet?

I would agree as well, yes

Luke 17:6  the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed...

Mark 4:30-32  And he [Jesus] said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.

Or is it because that love that GOD offers us is so great that I feel like what I can return is so unworthy. Because believe me all I want is to feel this way about our Father. NB

Phil 3:3  we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

1 John 4:10  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us [first], and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:19  We love him, because he first loved us.

Hello Jill,

When we look to ourselves, we will always feel unworthy...that's why we should not look unto ourselves [I know, easier said than done  ]. We should have no confidence in the flesh but absolute trust in God to make us Holy, as He is Holy. ['Be ye Holy, as I am Holy' (Lev 20:7, 1 Pet 1:16)].

Give it time...what else can you do?  


Marques

[9440geoff]

Hi Jill,

I have complete empathy with your feelings. I find it impossible to love God as I know He deserves to be loved. However, Jesus said:

Mat 22:37  . Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as  thyself.
Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

I also fail miserably at loving my neighbour as myself, but I do know that this what we will judged on, because it is tangible, and measurable.

Also, I found the following verse very powerful, Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

This made me realise that we have the Spirit of Jesus because both He, and our Father were willing for Him to go through the Crucifixion. Although it's ridiculous to compare, I cannot even imagine how that felt for God the Father , having two sons of my own. But it helps me to love the Father, as well as the Son.

Geoff

[hillsbororiver]

Hi again,

How do you love someOne you really don't know? Maybe you could have empathy for their trials, sympathy for any loss they might suffer or joy for a great feat or success they may have but can you really love them with all your heart if you do not know them?

So how do we love our Father in heaven, all communication and revelation have been from His Son, our Lord and Savior, so then how do we get to know God the Father, what is His character, what is His demeanor, His thoughts about us, what has He Himself done to show us what He is all about?

Joh 17:25  O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

We are familiar with so many things Jesus suffered for us, taught us and sacrificed for us, we know of His compassion for humanity and also how He loved us first, unconditionally.

Where did these Words of comfort and hope from our Lord originate from? Who set Him in place for His mission?

Joh 12:49  For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

I certainly agree with Marques & Mark, this takes time to completely understand but if we attempt to love our Father doing an end around Christ our Lord we are as lost as present day Judaism, if we try to love God the Father without looking at Jesus and His attributes where is the source of knowledge to understand and love our Father?

A few more verses to contemplate;

Mat 11:27  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Luk 10:22  All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

Joh 1:18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.

Peace,

Joe

[Ninny]

Everyone is so right. but Jill, you know I have to remind myself at times (a LOT of times) that God is my Father. And NO ONE else loves me like He does! When I feel myself being swept away by the world I remember what love He has for me..I know I've been in the world awhile..You really DO live and learn, sometimes I wish I wasn't such a slow learner!! If we could just understand how God loves us! I am thankful that through this website and Ray's teachings I am learning about the extreme, extreme love of a Father who never gives up, never backs up, and His fountain of Love in Jesus, never dries up!! Remember we can never, shock Him, surprise Him or catch him off guard!! He knows me so well, it's scary!!     
Kathy

[NoviceBeliever]

Joe, Marcus, Mark, Geoff, and Kathy:

Thank you all so much for you insights and scriptures.  I know I struggle sometimes, but I never want to stop. Uncomfortable is sometimes a good thing and I realize that when I do struggle it makes the final outcome more worth it. Thank you!  Jill