God's Love

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 is brought to completion (to its full maturity, run its full course, is perfected) in us! 1 John 4:12 We cannot give away what we don't have. Trying to love others is useless if we have never received God's love for ourselves. We should love ourselves in a balanced way, not a selfish, self-centered way. Love ourselves, not be in love with ourselves. To love yourself, you simply need to believe in the love God has for you, know that it is everlasting, unchangeable, and unconditional. Let his love affirm you and make you feel secure, but don't begin to think of yourself more highly than you should (Romans 12:3) Loving ourselves does not mean we love all of our behavior, it means that we love and accept the unique person God has created us to be. Loving ourselves in a balanced way is what prepares us to let love flow through us to others. Without receiving God's love for ourselves in a healthy, appropriate way we may have feelings of affection or respect for others, a humanistic type of love, but we certainly cannot love people unconditionally unless God himself inspires and provokes that love. The Holy Spirit purifies our hearts so we can allow the sincere love of God to flow through us (1 Peter 1:22) to others. This is the part of being filled with the Spirit. God wants us to express His love to others. When we think of others and how we can bless them, we keep ourselves filled with the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of Love. You have something wonderful to give the world today---the love of God that is in you!!