Now here is what I am up to in this part of my challenge…
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31 NIV)
Now why did I just add that here? “Love your neighbor as yourself”
So how can I love my neighbor, IF I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO LOVE OTHERS…
I have completed this challenge… Now here is what happened in the last few days…
Day 39 – Love endures…
Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8 NIV)
“Of all the things love dares to do, this is the ultimate. Though threatened, it keeps pursuing. Though challenged, it keeps moving forward. Though mistreated and rejected, it refuses to give up. Love never fails.” – The Love Dare
I just now realized something…
I AM NOT WILLING TO GIVE UP ON MY FRIENDSHIPS…
I am struggling to find strength to keep on going, because it seems like I am just failing in my friendships the whole time…
I wrote about this in Who am I? Part 2 – Friends.
Now that I have some friends, I do not know how to respond, because no one ever really gave me an opportunity to learn… And I pretty much suck at being a good friend… (If I wasn’t about keeping people’s names out of blogs I might actually give the names of my current best friends to testify at how much I suck at being a friend, even though they will testify at the fact that I am growing in it…)
But is this our ultimate goal in life?
Jesus’ love never failed… HE DIED FOR US, BECAUSE OF HIS LOVE FOR US…
“Love never fails. Of the nine “fruits of the Spirit” listed in Galatians 5, the first of all is love. And because the unchanging Holy Spirit is its source—the same Holy Spirit who dwells in the hearts of all believers—then the love He creates in you is unchanging as well. It is based on the will of God, the calling of God, and the Word of God—all unchanging things. The Bible declares them “irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Luke 21:33).” – The Love Dare
Remember that love does not end… Sometimes a season ends for a friendship, yet love never ends… I have realized that I have a lot to learn… And I do not know if I will ever know how to love like Christ did… But I AM WILLING TO TRY AND WILL CONTINUE TO GROW IN THIS…
I VOW TO LEARN HOW TO LOVE LIKE CHRIST… AND WITH THIS LOVE I WILL ENTER INTO A MARRIAGE… THE LOVE THAT DOES NOT TAKE QUITTING AS AN ANSWER… THIS IS MY PROMISE TO MY WIFE…
He delights in unchanging love. (Micah 7:18 NASB)
Day 40 – Love is a covenant…
Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. (Ruth 1:16 NASB)
Now what is a covenant?
An agreement which brings about a relationship of commitment between God and his people. The Jewish faith is based on the biblical covenants made with Abraham, Moses, and David. (lexico.com)
Marriage is supposedly a covenant and not a contract…Why is this?
A contract is normally something where two people just say what they will do… A covenant would be a commitment from both parties that say we are in this forever… Till death do them part…
“There are many other differences between covenants and contracts. A contract is usually a written agreement based on distrust, outlining the conditions and consequences if broken. A covenant is a verbal commitment based on trust, assuring someone that your promise is unconditional and good for life. It is spoken before God out of love for another. A contract is self-serving and comes with limited liability. It establishes a time frame for certain deliverables to be met and accomplished. A covenant is for the benefit of others and comes with unlimited responsibility. It has no expiration date. It is “till death do us part.” A contract can be broken with mutual consent. A covenant is intended to be unbreakable.” – The Love Dare
Covenants are the norm, especially between God and man…
“The Bible contains several major covenants as part of the unfolding story of God’s people. God made a covenant with Noah, promising never to destroy all flesh with a worldwide flood (Genesis 9:12–17). He made a covenant with Abraham, promising that an entire nation of descendents would come from his family line (Genesis 17:1–8). He made a covenant with Moses, declaring that the people of Israel would be God’s permanent possession (Exodus 19:3–6). He made a covenant with David, promising that a ruler would sit on his throne forever (2 Samuel 7:7–16). Ultimately, He made a “new covenant” by the blood of Christ, establishing an unending, unchanging legacy of forgiven sins and eternal life for those who believe in Him (Hebrews 9:15). Never once has God broken any of these covenants.” – The Love Dare
Now a covenant I will have to make…
For as long as God permits, I will never give up on a friend… My covenant is to God, that I will obey him no matter what… Even if it means that I release a friend when He tells me… Yet be faithful to each friend until that day has come… This is no easy covenant, especially because I do not know how to stay strong when it feels like everything is just falling apart…
He has remembered His covenant forever. (Psalm 105:8 NASB)
God bless… This is the last post on the days… One more post then this is finished…