Thursday, August 12, 2010

Fruits of the Spirit in the Bible -- Love

Genesis 39:21
But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.

Exodus 20:6
But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

Leviticus 19:18
“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord."

Numbers 14:19
In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”

Deuteronomy 6:5
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

Joshua 22:5
But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”

Judges 16:4
[ Samson and Delilah ] Some time later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the valley of Sorek.

Ruth 4:15
May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!”

1 Samuel 20:17
And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

2 Samuel 2:6
May the Lord be loyal to you in return and reward you with his unfailing love! And I, too, will reward you for what you have done.

1 Kings 10:9
Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”

2 Kings...hit a rough patch.  Lots of good things in this book...and I do believe that love is referred to indirectly.  So, here is a good one, that doesn't mention love by name, but implies it, especially when you consider the command from Deuteronomy (above).
2 Kings 23:25
Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since.

1 Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!His faithful love endures forever.

2 Chronicles 6:14
He prayed,“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.

Ezra 9:9
For we were slaves, but in his unfailing love our God did not abandon us in our slavery. Instead, he caused the kings of Persia to treat us favorably. He revived us so we could rebuild the Temple of our God and repair its ruins. He has given us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:4-6
When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned!

Esther 2:17
And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti.

Job 10:12
You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love.My life was preserved by your care.

Psalm 5:12
For you bless the godly, O Lord;you surround them with your shield of love.

Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up quarrels,but love makes up for all offenses.

Ecclesiastes 3:8
A time to love and a time to hate.A time for war and a time for peace.

Song of Solomon 4:10
Your love delights me,my treasure, my bride.Your love is better than wine,your perfume more fragrant than spices.

Isaiah 55:3
“Come to me with your ears wide open.Listen, and you will find life.I will make an everlasting covenant with you.I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

Jeremiah 9:24
But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone:that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,and that I delight in these things.I, the Lord, have spoken!

Lamentations 3:22
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.

Ezekiel 16:8
And when I passed by again, I saw that you were old enough for love. So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.

Daniel 9:4
I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:“O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands.

Hosea 1:7
But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the Lord their God.”

Joel 2:13
Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,but tear your hearts instead.”Return to the Lord your God,for he is merciful and compassionate,slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.He is eager to relent and not punish.

Amos 5:15
Hate evil and love what is good;turn your courts into true halls of justice.Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.

Obadiah...I am having a hard time finding love specifically....but the whole thing is a great account of what happens when people don't love.

Jonah 4:2
So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.

Micah 7:18
Where is another God like you,who pardons the guilt of the remnant,overlooking the sins of his special people?You will not stay angry with your people forever,because you delight in showing unfailing love.

Nahum hum hum...it's hard with these short books.  Here is a good verse, that I think demonstrates the Lord's love:
Nahum 1:3 
The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished.  He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm.  The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet.

Habakkuk 1:3
Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery?  Wherever I look,I see destruction and violence.I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight.

Zephaniah 3:17
For the Lord your God is living among you.He is a mighty savior.He will take delight in you with gladness.With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Haggai 1:13
Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!”

Zechariah 1:14
Then the angel said to me, “Shout this message for all to hear: ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong.

Malachi 1:2-3
“I have always loved you,” says the Lord.  But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?”  And the Lord replies, “This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob, but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.”

Matthew 5:46
If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.

Mark 10:21
Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Luke 10:27
The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

John 3:16
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Acts...huh.  I did not see this coming.  No mention of the word love in Acts.  What does this teach me about mission?  I do know that the Holy Spirit is very present in the book of Acts, and that love is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, so I can guess that like other books, even though it is not mentioned, love is present.
Acts 2:4
And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

Romans 5:5
And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

1 Corinthians 8:1
[ Food Sacrificed to Idols ] Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.

2 Corinthians 5:14
Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.

Galatians 5:13
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

Ephesians 3:17
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

Philippians 1:9
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.

Colossians 2:2
I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.

1 Thessalonians 4:9
But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.

2 Thessalonians 3:5
May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

1 Timothy 1:5
The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.

2 Timothy 1:13
Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.

Titus 1:8
Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life.

Philemon 1:4-6
I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.

Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.

James 2:8
Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

1 Peter 1:22
You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.

2 Peter 1:5-9
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

1 John 3:18
Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.


2 John 1:5
I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning.

3 John 1:5-6
Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God.

Jude 1:2
May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.

Revelation 3:19
I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

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