True love what is it??// how does one get it???

[winner08]

L-O-V-E, What is true love. What does it mean to love God with all your heart? How many Christians (I use this term lightly) really love their fellow man and the Lord with all their heart? I can only speak for myself. I don't think I know what the true feeling of real (Godly) love is. I know what my mind tells me what love is. But something happens between my mind and my heart. Like I said I know what the concept of love is. But I don't think I feel it in my heart. I ask God every night to change my heart. To change my carnal heart to a heart that knows and feels love as God meant it to be. This is why I feel like such a Hugh hypocrite. When I pray to the Lord I feel like I am a phony. I feel like I mouth the words but do not feel it in my heart. I had a long night last night. I thought about this all night long. It was very hard to ask these questions of myself. I want that true deep meaning love in my heart so bad. I want to be a happy person. I want to be a loving person. It's just not happening. I have change so much in my beliefs and views of God and His ways. I fear though this is just  in my mind and not in my heart. I guess I really have no question here. Just wanted to share this with my family.

[Marlene]

Wow, that is something I have thought about many times. I know now when I was thinking I loved God I didn't even know his true nature. I served him out of fear and not love. Knowing the truth about him changed me overnight. I saw him like I had never seen him before. I saw he is loving. Wants to forgive us with all our failings not condemn us. Now I love him for who he is not just to serve a tyrant. I had looked at him as someone I always thought I had to please. Now, that I see him as he truly is I love him because of all the love he gives us. Now, I want to obey not out of  fear, but out of love. I think true love like his is when we do not want to hurt others. But, I know we do hurt others. You are seeking to have his kind of Love. I believe he will help you love like he does.

I often think do I love people because I need them. Do I love them unconditional.  It is human nature to not love unconditional.  But, also love can be wanting what is best for others. That is a form of his love. Also, he loves us even though we do not love him. Now, that is a hard one. I guess if you ever loved someone and it was not returned we know how that feels. That, happened to me once in my life time. Rejected in love, but still not able to not love them.  Love is a big word. Just, telling you some of my thoughts. I seek that I might love like him too Darren.

God Bless You
Marlene

[Jackie Lee]

I feel at least for me love is a process, I am closer than I was but haven't completely accomplished this yet.
Of course I can't do this until God gives me the ability.
I am waiting on God to finish his work.

[winner08]

Thanks y'all. I guess most of us might suffer through this thing call love. Just trying to conceive what God's love is is hard enough. I only speak for myself. Some might already have this kind of love for God and others. I just want to feel that kind of love before I die. I want my heart to be anew. (Is that a word?). Anyway thanks.

[cjwood]

dear darren. in reading your post my heart welled up for you as my brother. i know you love God and that you love what He has and is showing you from the scriptures and from ray's teachings. just realize that He already knew that you were going to feel what you are feeling about knowing and experiencing the love that God loves us with. He knows what the desires of your heart are. He knows that what proceeds out of your mouth (or in this case your fingers on your computer keyboard) comes from out of your heart. continue to seek Him and His love and earnestly ask for Him to soften your heart and He will work in your heart through His grace. remember what ray taught about grace also being a verb. it does something. His grace will work in your heart. believe it. you are a wonderful brother on this forum.

love in Christ,
claudia

[judith collier]

One doesn't always FEEL love and sometimes it's ipso facto(after the fact) What's the fact? Were you patient, were you kind, were you not pushing for your way. When we do anything for the love of God we are rewarded in some way even though that might be just knowing one did the right thing. I, too, have struggled with this but I have practiced putting the question aside. I recall reading, "did you do one thing today just out of love for God" Sometimes the whole day is gone by and maybe I've done nothing but bite my tongue once or as a kindly priest once asked me, "did you do your duties well"  probably the best thing God likes is spending time with you, meditating, praying, listening to Him in your heart NOT your head.

[winner08]

Claudia, Thanks, I needed that. Your too kind.

[Deborah-Leigh]

MANY think that they know what love is but FEW actually know.

GOD is Love. God is revealed to the few not the many.

Can anyone get God? No. God gets us. God drags us.

Christ reveals God. God drags the few to Christ not the many.

A good way to start to "get it" is to study what love is according to what God says. At
Transcripts of Ray's Audio's and More Teachings  the last teaching Biblestudy Feb. 2007 is titled Love.

Arc