Jesus Lives!!

Try Jesus....

Whatever you're going through in life, turn to Jesus!!

Love Quotes from The Bible....

The Bible is full of great verses and passages about the topic of love.  God’s love for us is a perfect example and starting place to study on love. There are also great verses about love in relation to marriage, brotherly love or friendship, and loving your neighbor. Here is a collection of some of the greatest love quotes from the Bible. What is your favorite love Bible verse? Share it with us in the comments!

Featured Bible Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-love-25-awesome-scripture-quotes/#ixzz2tcIs4Dl6

Get the children involved for Valentine's Day!!

 Valentine's Day is a special holiday when we think about love. Although you may be planning something special for you and your spouse, make sure you include the kids in this special day as well.All kinds of love can be celebrated on this holiday – it doesn't just have to be about romantic love and passion. Wondering how you can make this day a special one for the kids this year? Here are some unique Valentine's Day ideas for kids that you can use to make it a wonderful time together as a family to celebrate the day.

Let Kids Make Valentine's Surprises for Family Members

One great idea that you can use is to let the kids make Valentine's Day surprises for family members. Maybe get them involved in making a special surprise for your spouse, their siblings, grandparents or other family members. Need some ideas?

-  Decorate Picture Frames and Include Photos of the Kids - A great project that makes a special surprise for a family member is to allow your kids to decorate picture frames and include photos of the kids in them. Take pictures of the kids together and have some printed out. Get plain photo frames and allow your kids to decorate them with ribbon, flowers, and more. Add in the pictures and they make a great gift for Valentine's Day that they made all by themselves.

- Valentine's Day Wreaths - Another simple craft kids can make to surprise family members is a wreath for Valentine's Day. All you need is some toilet paper rolls, a wire hanger, paint in pinks and reds, construction paper, scissors, glue, and tape. Put the toilet paper rolls on the hanger and use them to attach hearts of various sizes and colors until you fill up the entire wreath.

- Decorated Votive Holders – A great craft that kids can make for someone special in the family is a decorated votive holder. You'll need a plain glass votive holder, some candy conversation hearts, a glue gun, craft sealer, and some pink, red, or white votive candles. Attach the conversation hearts to the base of the votive holder with the glue gun. Apply some craft sealer over the hearts so they don't go bad or fall apart. It's best to put on several coats. Once dried, put the votive in and you'll have a simple and beautiful Valentine's day gift.

Make Valentine's Cookies for Neighbors
Visit an Elderly Center and Adopt Someone for the Day
Take Valentine's to Kids in a Children's Hospital

It's a great idea to let kids help others out for Valentine's Day as well. One way that you can let the kids help out others is to allow them to bake cookies for the neighbors in your area. Of course, you don't have to bake for the whole neighborhood, but baking for some of your neighbors is a great idea.

You may want to consider doing cutout cookies in various Valentine's themed shapes. Let them cut out the dough, bake them, and then they can enjoy decorating them. You can frost the cookies in various colors of icing, such as in pink, red, or even blues. Have fun decorating with sprinkles or write the names of neighbors in candy or with more icing in a contrasting color.

Of course, cutouts aren't the only option. Chocolate chip cookies are always a hit, shortbread, and even cookie bars make great options. Just let the kids get involved as you make them. Then allow them to help you take them to neighbors on Valentine's Day. It may even be a good idea to let kids decorate boxes to put the cookies in.

Another wonderful unique Valentine's Day idea for the kids is to visit an elderly center and adopt someone to cheer up for the day. Check with a local center and find out from the staff if there is someone that is neglected that doesn't have family that comes to see them on a regular basis. Then you can adopt that elderly person for the holiday.

Consider making Valentine's, taking candy, cookies, and spending some time with them that day. If you do take in food, make sure you check with the staff to make sure that is okay and that they don't have any dietary restrictions that need to be considered. This is a great way to teach your kids to focus on others. No doubt that person will enjoy the cheer that your children bring to them on Valentine's Day.

There are many kids who are suffering in a Children's Hospital that could use some cheering up on this holiday. Teach your children compassion this Valentine's Day by having them make and then take Valentine's to kids who are in a Children's Hospital. Just call ahead to make sure that this is allowed.

Get all the materials for your kids to make Valentine's. You'll need paper, pens, markers, crayons, and even embellishments if you really want to make them look pretty. Tell your kids to make them as cheerful as possible.

On Valentine's Day, go visit the Children's Hospital with your kids. Take the Valentine's and give them out to the kids that are in the hospital. It's a simple way that you and your kids can brighten the day of kids who are going through a lot. This allows you to teach your children the importance of giving to others.

These are all wonderful and unique ideas for the kids on Valentine's Day. They'll have a great time and they'll learn about helping others, which is so important. With these ideas, it's sure to be a great Valentine's Day for the whole family.

Bible Lessons About Love!!

There are several passages of scripture that talk specifically about love, however the whole Bible is a wonderful story of God’s love through His provided Redeemer. I pray these verses will be helpful as you study about God’s love and the love we should have for one another.

Show love to others by helping those in need

Love the Lord thy God

In Deuteronomy 6 Moses is summarizing the commandments that God had given to Israel. He leads off with a command to love God.

Deuteronomy 6:4, 5 ”Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

When you have a proper love towards God then all the other commandments make sense. However, if you are bitter at God for some reason (which is never a justifiable one), you will probably rebel against all the other commandments too. The foundation to understanding God’s teaching is to love Him with all your heart, soul and might.

The Love Chapter

The 13^th chapter of 1 Corinthians is often called the “Love Chapter.” Paul is talking about the various spiritual gifts that God has given to believers through His Holy Spirit. The apostle concludes his dissertation with chapter 13 saying that for those gifts to be effective we must have and show love. Without love then we will not be able to use our gifts properly.

Here are some various verses from the passage to consider.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

Charity, or love, is longsuffering, kind, humble, thoughtful, forgiving and patient (among many other things). These verses show some of the characteristics of love. When we act in any way contrary to these attributes then we are not showing God’s love to others and therefore are not using the other gifts that God has given us with the effectiveness we could.

1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

This does not mean that faith and hope have no value, but that their value is increased when we also have love.

Followers of Christ Show Love

John 13:34, 35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Jesus is talking with his disciples at the Last Supper. He had already dismissed Judas and told the disciples that He would be betrayed. This is the last lesson Jesus taught the disciples before He was arrested and taken to trial.

A new commandment, wow! This must be important. However, it was not much different than what He had said about all the other commandments in the past. Jesus’ conclusion about the other commandments was summarized in this statement, “Love God. Love others.” (Mark 12:29-31)

Love Within the Church

In the book of 1 John the author is writing to the church in general. He was probably living in Ephesus when he wrote this book, but it is not directed to any church in particular. We can certainly apply it to our churches today.

1 John 4:7, 8 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

The essence of God is love (this does not preclude His holiness and righteousness). John says to the church that Christians naturally should love one another. If you don’t then you should really examine your spiritual condition before God. Do you know God? Do you have a personal relationship with Him? If you do, then a natural evidence of that is that you love those around you—particularly the people of God within the local church.

God’s Love to Us

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

God sacrificed His son for us. Not because we deserved God’s Son to die in our place, but because of love. We could do nothing to merit God’s love and forgiveness, but He gives it freely.

Romans 5:6-8 says that it might be possible that someone would be willing to die for a good or righteous person. “But God [when we were not good, nor righteous] commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Have you been a partaker of the love of God? Jesus did not die for the righteous, but for sinners. Don’t consider yourself too lost to be saved. You are exactly the reason Christ came to die. God wants to show you His love through His Son.

Resources:

The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

If you feel like no one loves you....read this and it will make your day better!!

If you have one of those days when it seems like no one is there for you or no one 

cares, just look at this and remember Jesus loves you!! 

What greater love could you ever ask for??

Looking for a Valentine??

You couldn't have picked a better one if you picked Jesus!!

Love Thy Neighbor!!

Verse 31. - Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. God is to be loved above everything - above all angels, or men, or any created thing. But after God, amongst created things, our neighbor is above all to be loved. And we are to extend to our neighbor that kind of love with which we love ourselves. Our love of ourselves is not a frigid love, but a sincere and ardent love. In like manner we should love our neighbour, and desire for him all those good things both for the body and for the soul that we desire for ourselves. This is what our Lord himself teaches us. "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, even so do unto them." There is none other commandment greater than these. 

What does the Bible say about loving your neighbor?  What does the Bible say about loving people at all?  Love is a big topic in the Bible because it circumferences 3 types of love.  In Greek, pornea is the selfish cravings dealing with lust and sexual intercourse outside the bonds of marriage.  Phileo is brotherly love, which is where the city of Philadelphia derived its name from.  Lastly, agape, is the unconditional love that denies “self” for the care and compassion of others.

The Greatest Commandment

In Matthew 22:36-39, a Pharisee asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”  And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  The kind of love expressed in both of these laws is agape love.  In regards to the second commandment, this love seeks for the greatest good for our neighbor.  By way of definition, “neighbor” in this passage refers to anyone who is around us:  our actual neighbor or the person at the desk next to us at work.  Here are 7 practical tips for loving your neighbor as yourself.

In order to really focus on loving others, we have to constantly be aware of how much Jesus loves us by how He laid His life down for us on the cross. When we are thankful for Him, we can really express the love needed to plant the seed into an unbeliever’s heart.

Seek Out Your Neighbor 

In Ezekiel 34:16a, God says, I will seek out the lost, and I will bring back the strayed.  God does this so many times through his flock.  Jesus did not spend His time around the saved, but the unsaved.  We should model our lives after His.  Seek out someone that God has placed on your heart.  Seek them and love them for who they are, not for who you want them to be.  Jesus ate with tax collectors, he talked with prostitutes and spent time with the sick.  His reputation was not even a factor.  He spent time with them because He loved them unconditionally.  We have to put pride and our reputations down at the cross if we want to truly love others.

Bless Those Who Persecute You 

Yes, the ones who persecute you need Jesus more than ever.  Romans 12:14 says, bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.  This is a reflection on Jesus’s words in Matthew 5:44 when He says, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  God has never stopped seeking the hearts of man, even in the “self-fulfilling” world we live in.  He is always knocking, hoping that the unsaved will answer.  We should be the same.  We need to pray throughout the day for those who persecute us.  And in all circumstances, show them love no matter what.  It is the very least we can do considering the grace and mercy God has given us through Christ’s death.

Be Real 

We have all received gifts or honors because “it was the right thing to do.”  You just can’t feel love from someone when they are doing something good for you because “it is the right thing to do”.  People feel love when it is really expressed.  “I love you,” is a very common phrase.  Many times it just feels like it should be said.  Really, though, it needs to come from the heart.  Sometimes it is better to do something that says, “I love you” than saying it.  For instance, a woman always feels a need to be cherished.  As men, we need to show them that by taking them to do things that they like to do, or by stopping what we are doing to talk with them or to dance with them.  The interaction is really where true love is expressed.  With interaction comes connection.  With connection comes a bond.

Sacrifice 

With sacrifice comes remembrance.  This is why Jesus instituted the “Lord’s Supper”.  Luke 22:19 says, and He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them (the 12 disciples), saying, “This is my body, which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of Me.”  The wonderful gift and sacrifice of Jesus’ shed blood on the cross covering our multitude of sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness is what we remember each time we partake in communion.  I had a flat tire on the highway once, which was so old that it literally fused itself to my truck.  My friend drove by and saw me.  We both tried to pull it off with no avail.  I ended up calling another friend, whose dad runs a body shop, and his dad picked my truck up, got the tire off, and replaced it all for free.  I felt much compassion and love from him that day, especially because I knew that his love came from Christ.  His sacrifice made such an impression on me that I will never forget it.  I will always love and respect him for his act of compassion on me.

Be a Good Listener 

We all know what it is like when we try to talk with someone and they interrupt us or ask, “What did you say again?”  It feels like they don’t even care and they honestly may not.  You will always feel like someone cares for you when they genuinely listen to you.  Listening is a conscious choice you have to make.  James 1:19 says, be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.  Following this model, we will show our neighbor love even if they don’t recognize it.

Respect The Boundaries 

You will not be seen as loving if you break into a person’s home.  You have not respected their boundaries.  The same goes for the peripheral boundaries that each person has set for themselves.  It is important that we as Christians can read the signs.  To love like Christ is to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).  Salt adds flavor and seasoning to food.  We are to be like salt.  People want flavor.  Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”  When we answer our neighbor like we “ought” to, they will be drawn to us.  They will notice something different about us if they are not already a believer, and that is what attracts them.  While respecting someone’s boundaries, they will be more inclined to converse and they will be much more receptive to what we have to say.

Feed The Good Wolf

There is an old Indian proverb about two wolves.  It says that there are 2 wolves inside every person.  One is full of evil wanting to kill, destroy and devour anything it can.  The other is full of love wanting to look after the weak and take care of the less fortunate.  The one that grows is the one you feed.  The Christian’s “good wolf” is the Holy Spirit.  When we are feeding it by reading the Word, spending time in prayer and worshipping our Father, we will be fully equipped to let His light shine into the darkness and to love our fellow man in all circumstances.

Conclusion

In order to really focus on loving others, we have to constantly be aware of how much Jesus loves us by how He laid His life down for us on the cross.  When we are thankful for Him, we can really express the love needed to plant the seed into an unbeliever’s heart.  I pray that we all can learn daily how to love even more then yesterday.