What is Love? 1
Not Enough Love! 5
God's Love Manifested 7
What God Desires from You 8
Do You Need More Love? 15
What is the Problem? 23
The Answer 27
How Did Jesus Walk with the Father? 36
A Personal Testimony 38
Sowing and Reaping Love 42
Some Practical Examples of Sowing 44
A Parting Thought 56
HOW LOVE GROWS
WHAT IS LOVE?
Love is the fundamental theme throughout the Word of God. Love is the essence of God's character and the foundation of who he is. The Greek word "agape" is used to identify the love of God, and it is defined as affection, benevolence and a "love-feast" or feast of charity. Love is much more than what God does. Love is who God is. His love is so immeasurable, it is called a "love-feast".
Have you ever been to a feast? I think of a feast as a meal with so much abundance, there is more food than everyone present could possibly eat! God's love is so immense, there is an abundance (more than enough) for every individual who has ever been born onto the earth. He is more than enough!
Everything God does comes from a heart of benevolence and the desire to give love to us. Agape love comes from the heart, and any reservoir of real love within us originated from God.
The need to be loved and to love others is shared by every person on the earth. This yearning for love was placed in mankind by God. It is at the very core of our reason for living and the need for which every person is searching. This longing for love can only be filled by God himself. Every person in the world needs a love relationship with God Almighty, who IS love. Many people would testify that wealth, fame and success never really satisfy the longings of their hearts, because what they really long for is to be loved completely. Even when the world would say, "You have made it," people realize that their hearts are still empty and unfulfilled.
Oftentimes, people who are lost don't realize they are searching for God's love. They only know that they feel empty inside and nothing seems to fill up the void. They yearn for something to bring meaning into their lives and they try to find that meaning in addictions, striving for success, relationships and many other things. Yet, the only thing that can fill their hearts is God's love, and that love flows out of a personal, intimate relationship with the Father who created them. Every person on earth needs a love relationship with the source of love.
The world doesn't understand God's love. They often don't even recognize it. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son..." that whoever believes on him would not perish but instead would have everlasting life. Only through salvation can you receive God's love into your heart. When you have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, you can experience the benefits of God's mighty love.
The Bible expounds upon the love of God in great detail. This leads to the realization that we can also love him in return. There are many examples in both the Old and New Testament of people who enjoyed a personal love relationship with God. This kind of intimacy with the Father is available to you, but loving God must go beyond mere words. You have to add "works" for your words to have real meaning, because love without the corresponding actions is useless.
For example, you may love your spouse or children very much, but if you don't tell them and show them that you love them, it doesn't really mean very much. I have been married over thirty years and my wife still likes to hear me say, "I love you" and I like to hear it, too! She is also blessed when I do things to prove my love. Both the words and the actions are necessary.
It is the same way with God. He tells us and shows us that he loves us, and he wants us to tell him we love him and show him our love in return. As the old saying goes, "Talk is cheap." A lot of people say they love God but do their actions agree with their words?
God's love has always produced corresponding actions. God gave us his only Son. Jesus gave his life for you. Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. When you spend time with Jesus you will begin to learn about his love for you. You will begin to see that God's love is never passive. When God's love is in your heart, things happen! Real love flows when you share with God from the heart, not the mind, and you express that love through action, just as God has shown his love for you by giving you his Son.