S.O.A.P. for 03/05/2009 All you need is love...

S: Mark 12:30-31
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment, and the second, like it, is this. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater that these.

O: God's laws are not burdensome. They can be reduced to 2 simple truths. Love God + love others. When you love God completely and love others as yourself, then you have fulfilled the intent of All the commandments. According to Jesus, these two encompass ALL of the laws. These are not requests, they are commandments. We are COMMANDED to love, meaning that HE knows it won't come easy. Love is an action, not just a feeling, as me must CHOOSE to love.

1 John 3:18 says Dear Children, let us not love with mere words or our tongues, but in truth and in deed!

Romans 13:10 says Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore Love is the fulfillment of the Law.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a says Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely; does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the Truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, ENDURES all things. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:13 says And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

A: I must choose to love, for love in itself is active, is purposeful. It is a command, not a request. We cannot say that it only applies to the OT when clearly Jesus Himself reminds us of it in the NT - and earnestly tells us of it's importance. I must love, not with just my heart, and my emotion, but with my hands, feet, mind, prayers, walk, talk, everything. God knew that people would hurt each other intentionally and UNintentionally, and He knew that we'd need to find a way to love each other despite it all, as He continues to love us. I can't imagine how many times I may have hurt my God. I can't imagine the dismay, and the hurt, for I feel it from my own children when they don't love as they should. Love doesn't just "happen". We have the ability to make it happen. How cool is that? How can we show love today? Think of 1 way that we can choose to make love a verb today.

P: Father God,
Your love alone is so great, limitless, majestic, strong yet gentle and all we need. Father, You know what's best for us and You try to reveal that to us each and every day. You give us Your commandments to live by, that to many people, feel like a bunch of rules and ways to control us. But Lord, I feel nothing but joy and freedom when I follow you. There are no regrets, there are no, "I wish I hadn't done that"....And to think that even though the rules and laws seem so many, there are really only 2. For if we simply choose to love as You do, ALL the others will fall into place. How simple is that? It sounds so easy. Lord I pray for a heart that can love as You love. I pray for eyes and ears that can notice where I have an opportunity to show love. I pray that I don't let any of those opportunities to reflect You slip me by. I pray that I remember that love is an action, an active choice, a living, breathing, powerful thing, not just a fleeting thought.

In Jesus Name,
Amen
To my brothers and sisters in Christ,
2 Thessalonians 1:3 says We are bound to thank God always for you, my brothers, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you abounds towards each other.

Love the Lord Your God,
with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
*Lincoln Brewster*

Hey, tell me haven't you heard
Love is a serious word
Hey, I think it's time that you learned
I don't care what you say
I don't care what you heard
The word love, LOVE
Love is a VERB!
*D.C. Talk*

I was made to love,
and be loved by You!
*Tobymac*

All you need is love
*Beatles*