What is LOVE?

Years ago we used to raise Saints - large as life, and inherently LOVABLE. We maintained a general population of 30 not including puppies. As a whole they were a very good group, but individually I had some that were 'docile', very submissive, trainable, ALEF, as opposed to 'alpha'. [See post 34 on 7-05], and some that, as the world would say, were 'hell on wheels', a very apt picture of most of us - God's own 'Saints'. There were also the 'in between' ones, and they were the 'ones to watch' because it wasn't a 'given' if they would choose to stick around or if they would wander. Domino [2nd L] was one of those. She was extremely lovable, and for the most part docile. She was a good housedog and loved her comfortable surroundings. But she had one fault. Seven out of ten times you would let her out and she'd be within bounds or laying on the porch. But it was the three out of ten times that 'challenged my love', because on those times she definitely came back smelling of skunk.

Choosing to look at it from a 'God perspective', the docile, submissive, trainable ones were the 'faithful ones'. The ones 'given to destruction' were the ones who gave Jezebel a run for her money, but when I was able to redirect their energy to what wasn't destructive, their strength became an asset rather than a fault. Sadly, the ones who would not give up their destructive practices, lost their life. But it was the in-between ones - the lukewarm ones / the laodiceans - that were the heartbreak. I wanted the best for them, I yet loved them, but because they wouldn't 'hear me', they brought trouble on themselves. You would think after chasing a skunk once and getting doused, she wouldn't do it again. But the scent and sight of a skunk always aroused her passion and as much as I yelled NO-O-O - it was to no avail. Did I love her - yes. Did I trust her - no. Did I want relation with her when she returned from the chase. No. She smelled of skunk. She slept outside during her days of repentance until I knew I could resume relations. I never stopped loving her. She had docile traits that I loved, but she wasn't faithful at 'keeping my commands'. So did she love me, or was her gratefulness' for my mercy and her own comfort?

One can not help 'watching' the 'Christian world', the 'army of God' - the 'Saints'. As with all wars and all armies - there are casualties. Satan is never off his job. He is resolute, ruthless and relentless. John 8: he is a liar, and the father of it. John 10: he is out to kill, steal and destroy. If he can knock out the leaders, the sheep will scatter. More than several named evangelists and worship leaders have succumb to adultery, divorce, homosexuality, embezzlement and the likes. We should be able to look to the leaders, but we need to look to Christ, to His Word. These next words seem harsh, but they are for the protection of the one following [obeying] Christ:

1Corinthians 5
..9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with
....sexually immoral people.
10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world,
....or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would
....need to go out of the world.
11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother,
....who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard,
....or an extortioner not even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside?
....Do you not judge those who are inside?
....But those who are outside God judges.
....Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person."

A friend recently reminded me, that the better question might be WHO is love, rather than WHAT is love. Love is a person - God - definitely. But when our 'Christian' family and friends pick up the 'scent of the skunk' and pursue addictions, lusts, and worldly desires, outside of the Word, we are faced with a difficult but clear choice. To do otherwise, we act as an enabler, and an encouragement in their deception. My Mother faced that choice with me years ago and now I have been faced with that choice both with friends and family. Love is a person - God - and God loves me, therefore I also 'choose Him'. I can let the others go, but I never want to let Him go. We all know a skunk when we smell it. And if you don't, you will know it when you do.

God says we love him IF we keep his commands. That not everyone who says, 'Lord, lord' is 'known by Him'. If we claim 'grace' we are proclaiming our deliverance from sin and death. If, as a Christian, 'we are delivered from sin', are we seeking to be 'turned from our sin'?

1John 5:1 2 By this we know that we love the children of God,
..when we love God and keep His commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
..And His commandments are not burdensome.

1John 1
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you,
..that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness,
..we lie and do not practice tthe truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship
..with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son
..cleanses us from all sin.

1Timothy 1
..5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart,
....from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,
..6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk,
..7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what
....they say nor the things which they affirm.
..8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,
..9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person,
....but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for
....sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers
....and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers (slave dealers),
... for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is
....contrary to sound doctrine,
11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God
...which was committed to my trust.


Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which
burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

Revelation 22:15
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,
...the First and the Last."
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments,
...that they may have the right to the tree of life,
...and may enter through the gates into the city.
15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral
...and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and
...practices a lie: pseudos ψεῦδος

............a lie ................conscious and intentional falsehood
............in a broad sense, whatever is not what it seems to be
.............................of perverse, impious, deceitful precepts

2 Corinthians 5
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
....that each one may receive the things done in the body,
....according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;
....but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known
....in your consciences.

We have all fallen short, but we have ALL been given GRACE to repent and live by the Spirit of life in Christ.

Shalom!