jonathan@geloofenbemoediging.nl
Loving: what does the Bible say about this?

Love is a word used a lot in the world, but certainly also in the Bible. Love is not just a word, in fact it is a verb: you have to do something for it. God speaks in the Bible both about loving yourself and loving another, but also about loving Him above all else. These are three things that may seem easy at first, but usually are not in practice. But what does the Bible say about loving?
Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God.
Joshua 23:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
1 John 4:11
We love him, because he first loved us.
1 John 4:19
That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; And I will fill their treasures.
Proverbs 8:21
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:16
And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
2 John 1:5
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
1 John 4:12
So there are lots of texts that have to do with loving. If you want to search for them, you can search for love in the Bible app or website. This will bring up all the texts with loving.
God says several times in the above Bible texts that we may love Him. What He also names is that He first loved us and because of this we can love Him. This does make me think. Let these Bible verses penetrate you for a moment, what thought or feeling do you get from this? Do you feel loved? Or just the opposite? Ask God (if necessary) to help you understand the texts and reveal the message He wants to give through them.
If we want to love people, we need to work on this. Because of my autism, I find it a little more difficult to connect or interact with people. I used to not even dare to look anyone in the eye. Now I have grown and I can. For example, a relationship with a family member also takes time and energy. Similarly, a relationship with God and a relationship with a fellow human takes time and energy. I don’t want to discourage you with this, but rather encourage you! For the more we seek God and the more we pay attention to people around us, the more we come to love. For this we can be thankful to God. Please also take a moment to read the blog: Being grateful in all circumstances.
For the more we seek God and the more we pay attention to people around us, the more we come to love.
This is just a brief bit about what the Bible says about this. But what do you think about loving? Let us know in the comments below what you think of when you hear the word love.
And remember: everything is possible for the one who believes!