When Love Takes You In Everything Changes

[setfree]

By T.L. Bench

When Love Takes you in everything changes.

The worlds love is fleeting but God's love is steadfast. "The steadfast love of the Lord never changes. His mercies never come to an end."

Spiritual growth comes out of love. If you want spiritual growth you must understand that God loves you. All your beliefs about God should come from an understanding of His love and the cross.

The church preaches things that makes people feel worthless, so they run from God instead of to God. If we understood God's love we would run to him instead of from him. God loves the world so he loves us too. (Romans 5:6-7)

Jesus was the final and complete payment for all our sins. (I. John 2:1-2) My little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus was our propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins. We cannot pay for what God freely gave us. God was satisfied with the finished work of the cross. He cannot be satisfied with your works. Your works do not add to or help you before God; they are filthy rags. He has freely blessed you through the cross. We are not making payments to keep God off our back. God was satisfied with what Jesus did, and if we have received His sacrifice on our behalf, God is at peace with us.

Religion kills the love of God. In Romans 5:5 the bible tells me that the love of God has been shed abroad in my heart. God's love comes to live inside of us when we are born again and His love will change us from the inside out if we let it. But first we must believe His love toward us. (I. John 4:16)

Everyone is looking for love and commitment and approval. It is what everyone craves. Unconditional love is not based on the actions of the receiver but on the commitment of the giver.

People in most churches want to "stone" other believers in church that sin. They'll even use the epistles of Paul in the New Testament to excuse their lack of love toward other believers. This is not what Paul intended. These were extreme cases and it was Paul's hope to restore those people back to the church after they repented. He used consequences to try to bring them to repentance since reasoning with them did not work.

I. Corinthians 13: 4-8 Love is patient, love is kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable- or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, Love never ends.

God's love is unconditional. He also desires for us to love as He does. God would not have a higher standard for us to live by than He has for himself; otherwise we would be more holy than He. God expects us to love lavishly, forgive easily, and keep no record of wrongs as He does. He even expects us to love our enemies too, for He loves His enemies. (Matthew 5:43-44) You have heard that it has been said, "You should love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." God tells us to love the good and the evil, just as He does.

When people run from God, it is because they have no worth and value for themselves. But it is the goodness of God that brings them to repentance. The Prodigal son in the book of Luke came home to his Father because of His Father's love.

God values you not because of what you can do, but because of who he is inside of you.

(Romans 5:6-11) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for god man some would even dare to die. But God commandeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And no only so, but we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

The world is reconciled to God through Jesus blood. It's already been done, but they have to receive it! Salvation is a free gift but you have to actually receive the gift in order to have it.

Whatever you believe about God is what you will experience in your life. I. John 4:16-19 says: And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as HE is, so are we i this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear; because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. We love Him, because He first loved us.

Real believing looks at how strong and perfect love is.

You should ask yourself: Is that love? Because if it's not love, it's not God.

[setfree]

- pt 2 -

Love is based on the giver, not the receiver.

John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believes on him is not condemned; but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

God is love and he desires only good for us all the days of our lives. God even wants us to love our enemies as he does.

(Matthew 5:43-44) You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which dispitefully use you, and persecute you;

If we don't understand the love of God, how can the world? If we know God, we'll know love. If we know His love for us, we can love others more.

(I. Corinthians 13:1-8) Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable- or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, Love never ends.

Christ was crucified before the foundations of the world. Because of God's love He fulfilled His promise by sending Jesus. We are right with God because of Jesus. Our perception of God must be rooted in a revelation and foundation of his love. Jesus died for every human being that would ever be born. He payed the price for all our sins for all time.

Fear is not of God. Fear of God's wrath is not of God. Fear not is in the Bible 365 times; one time for every day of the year. God's love casts out our fears- including the fear of punishment by him. God sent Jesus to reveal his love to us.

(Hebrews 1:1-3) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Jesus didn't come to kill us all, but to save us. It's not God's will that any should perish John tells us.

Jesus said that religious Jews didn't even recognize God when He was standing in front of them. They couldn't see who Jesus was because they trusted in the Law to bring them eternal life Jesus tells us in the book of John as well.

God loves us with approbation which means approval, value, and admiration. God loves you just the way you are. There are no second class citizens in God's Kingdom.

Next time you miss it, remind yourself that God doesn't get aggravated with you. He is a patient, kind, loving, and forgiving Father. His mercies are new every morning according to the Psalms. He still corrects us as a loving Father corrects his child, but God loves and approves of us just the way we are. He doesn't approve of all our behavior, but he approves of us.

(Ephesians 3:14-21) For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be stengthenedwith might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.


Be rooted and grounded in God's love, and you'll be able to stand in hard times and evil days.

Your life is an expression of what you believe about God. When you know God's love its easy to walk in His promises. It's easy to receive from him what you see should be yours in the Word.

II. Corinthians 5:17- 21 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new and all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the ministry of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as through God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be you reconciled to God. For he has made him to be sin for us, who know no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

To be filled with the fullness of God you have to understand His love. The Gospel of peace persuades you that God loves you.

(Ephesians 6:10- 14) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

God doesn't lead you into the wilderness or do you harm. You do that to yourself with your own foolish decisions and behavior. God is always for you, not against you according to Romans. The Israelites stayed in the wilderness and died because of their unbelief. They limited the holy One of Israel with their unbelief the New Testament tells us. They limited God by not trusting in Him, and they didn't trust enough in Him because they didn't understand his love for them.

(I. John 4:18) There is no fear in love;but perfect love casts out fear because fear has torment. He that fears has not yet been made perfect in love.

I. John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this present world.

Romans 8:31-35; 38-39 What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yes rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, not powers, not things present, not things to come, Nor height, nor depth, not any other creature, shall be able to separate us rfro the love of god, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God's love is unconditional.