Monday, February 14, 2005

the heart of the matter

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied:
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22:36-39


“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love,
just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and that your joy may be complete.
My command is this:
Love each other as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:9-13


For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16


Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution
or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that
neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35, 37-39


This is how we know what love is:
Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need
but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
Dear children,
let us not love with words or tongue
but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:16-18


Love is patient,
love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It is not rude,
it is not selfseeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never fails.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13

No comments: