Love builds up

Love and purity.

I Peter 1:22 “now because of your obedience to the truth, you have purified your very souls, and this empowers you to be full of love for your fellow believers. So express this sincere love toward one another passionately and with a pure heart.” The Passion Translation. The Amplified Bible tells us in this verse “to love one another fervently from a pure heart”. This Scripture says we are to love one another passionately, fervently with a pure heart.

1 Corinthians 8:3 “but if a person passionately loves God, he will possess the knowledge of God.” (The Passion Translation) This Scripture speaks of passionately loving God, our Lord and Friend. I turned to the Amplified Bible to get an expanded look at 1 Corinthians 8:3. “But if one loves God truly (with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, and grateful recognition of His blessing), he is known by God (recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by Him.)

Jesus instructs us in Matthew 22:37-40: “love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind; and our neighbor as ourselves.”

My thought was – what does it mean to ‘passionately love’ God and our fellow believers? What does that look like? How do we achieve this?

How do we love fervently? Through the Holy Spirit. According to 1 Peter 1:22 , the Holy Spirit is the One Who purifies our hearts so the sincere love of God can flow through us to others. Walking in the love of God will enable the ‘rivers of living waters to flow out’.

Thank You Holy Spirit – our Helper, Guide, Teacher, Comforter. Spirit of Wisdom and Might. Not by might, not by power but by My Spirit says the Lord.

Shalom

Kath