LOVE -- AS CHRIST LOVES

LOVE -- AS CHRIST LOVES

LOVE  PART III

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          Christ loves us with an Agape love. And we too can love others with this love. It’s ours for the asking!

          THE THREE TYPES OF LOVE:

 

 PHILIAL LOVE: The love people have for each other: parents for their children and children for their parents, brotherly and sisterly love etc.

EROTIC LOVE: It is a sensual and lustful love.

AGAPE LOVE: This is the highest form of love and is not human but Godly.

          It can only be ours when Lord Jesus pours His love through us. 

       One of the best times it comes alive is when we love our enemies.

HUMAN BEINGS ARE MADE UP OF: A spirit, a soul and a body.

The soul itself has:  intellect, will and emotion.

Lord Jesus has said: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Mathew 5: 44).

It’s an order! He gave the order. We obey!

ACTIVATING AGAPE LOVE: Jesus has said, ‘love’, which is a verb.

We are to act on it: So go ahead and love your enemy.

 But first forgive them!

HINDRANCES TO FORGIVING OTHERS: (Especially our enemies).

          The first hindrance is our emotions. We are deeply hurt. And feel that if we forgive our enemies, they will not be made to pay for their wrong doings.

FORGIVING IS NOT PARDONING!

           Be rest assured that those who have hurt or harmed you, will definitely not escape punishment, because God is a just God. When we forgive them, we are obeying God. If we do not, then we ourselves incur God’s wrath for disobeying His direct order to forgive.

           And what about their fate?

           Leave them to the Lord: “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” ( Hebrews 10:31).

FORGIVE INTELLECTUALLY, AND NOT EMOTIONALLY!

           We thus overrule our emotions and, using our intellect (mind), we decide (will) to forgive, and then to love them. Emotionally we may still ‘hate’ them but as we continue loving them God gradually heals us.

 AGAPE LOVE: It has to be experienced to be appreciated!

FORGIVE AND LOVE YOURSELF: Use the same methodology with yourself as you did with your enemies.

          And then use it on others.

LOVE AND LIVE HEALTHY: Unforgiveness and lack of love is the main underlying cause of mental diseases, arthritis, heart ailments, cancers etc. to name just a few.

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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