L.O.V.E

One of the most powerful, four letter word used is L.O.V.E.

   Love(v)-to have or show warm affection for.
  (n)-the feeling experienced when one is strongly attached or deeply devoted to another.

Love is a word that gets tossed around in our everyday conversations, a lot of times whether we realize it or not we use it out of context. For example:

I LOVE the TV show "Glee."
Now, lets take out the word love and replace it with it's definition.
 I'm deeply devoted to the TV show "Glee". Sounds pretty silly uh?

We'll give you one more example...

I LOVE Starbucks Skinny Carmel Latte'.
         
translated to: I have a lot of affection for Starbucks Skinny Caramel Latte'.

Saying we love Glee or the skinny latte' is saying we really really like them, but we are not IN LOVE with them.

            Our deepest love should be towards God. God showed his love for us by sending his ONE and ONLY son to die on the cross for our sins.  In the first sentence of John 3:16 it states: "For God so LOVED the world that he gave his only son..." God continues to show his love for us throughout the Bible. Have you ever read or seen a good love story? The Bible is the best love story ever written!! God's love is shown from the first book of Genesis to the last book of Revelation. God's number one rule is to love Him with all your heart, soul, and mind. (Matthew 22:37 and 38)
            LYLAS. Have you ever used this acronym while instant messaging or texting a friend?! Have you ever stopped to think about what you are really writing? Love you like a sister. A friendship love is far different than your love for God. God gave us the freedom to love but we are not to use that freedom for our own benefit. We are to be selfless with our love for our friends. (Galatians 5:13) To be selfless means having little or no concern to your own interest. An example of ones love for a friend: Listening and being there when they need you.
           You can not show your friends love when you do not love yourself. And by loving yourself we mean respecting and knowing that you are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. We don't mean the "all about me" kind of love. Matthew 22:39 states: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." True love can only come from God and you must truly love Him in order to truly love yourself and when you truly love youself that is when you can truly love your friends.

                                                       To truly love is to be selfless.

Love in Christ
Alicia and Jana