Day 4: Love!

I'm finding this to be more difficult than I thought it would be.  I don't usually post more than twice a week, so really there's no reason I should be surprised that posting everyday has been hard to work in.  It has been good, though.  I've been spending more time thinking about and studying biblical things than I have in a while.  Sadly, Bible Study is something that is easily pushed aside when life gets busy.  

This exercise has already been showing some benefits in my life, though.  Just this morning when my children were screaming I reminded myself of God's love for us and that we should show that love to others.  So instead of getting upset with them, I was able to take a breath, say a quick prayer, and deal with the conflict in a much (much) better way than I would have.  

So, with that intro, let's look at a few things about love...

Because love is the first characteristic listed, I believe it puts a primacy on that characteristic.  It is, after all, only because of God's love for us that we are able to have a relationship with Him.  Then only through that relationship can we truly love others.  It's all connected and it all begins in God's amazing love.  

As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit inside of us, giving us access to His love.  That is why we should love and be known by our love.  As it is God's love that should be shown through us, here is a quick list of a few of the things that God's love is:

~Unmerited (Rom. 5:8)

~Great (Eph. 2:4)

~Transforming (Rom. 5:5)

~Unchanging (Rom. 8:35-39)

As I'm dealing with my children each day, I'm trying to remind myself that my love should have the same attributes.  It is hard for me to remember, but a good challenge to work on.