The Most Pragmatic And Realistic Approach

Especially within a society such as ours, which distorts love into lust, the ability to recognize and display the gift of love is essential. Selfish love, which is so inherent to humanity, inhibits God from acting in our lives, blinding us from experiencing His presence and eternal joy. It is so easy to look for pleasure and love in self satisfaction. However, the path to lasting happiness is not found through instant gratifications, but in the grueling practice of living a life full of

This sermon provokes the one who has had their own hearts weaken to seek holiness from the transformation of love. Wesley desires every Christian to attain the status of perfect love, where the love of God and neighbor would reign in their hearts. As evidence he quotes St. Paul, “Earnestly desire the higher gifts, and I will show unto you a more excellent way.” (The More Excellent Way,

Men and women throughout the ages have desired to love others the way the greatest commandment instructs us to. However, due to our sinful nature, overshadowed by the fear of death and our limited physical and emotional vulnerabilities, the love we should have for one another turns into controlling one another, so that we have power and are in control. Instead of giving, we want. Instead of serving, we demand our rights. And scriptures like Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, as your Father in heaven in perfect” can be frustrating

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." When we have this kind of responsibility in the congregation, it makes a domain where we are all in this walk of life together. We appreciate great circumstances together and express gratitude toward God, yet we likewise stay with each other amid troublesome circumstances. Truth be told, if there are never troublesome circumstances, we would never reach the point of knowing whether we are submitted or not. " The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Dr. Martin Luther King

Statement # 10 (From The Cradle, The Cross, and The Crown Chapter 12, Loc 14829 of 28382, 2nd Paragraph) “Love is more important than the gifts of human or heavenly speech, miracle-working, faith, liberal generosity, or even the faithfulness that motivated a person to embrace

21). I agree, it is vital that the disciple is involved in an intentional, ongoing plan that challenges themselves to greater Christ-likeness which manifests itself in the nurturing of others toward wholeness. This is what we are called to do when we become children of God. Christian Spiritual formation cannot happen in solitude; therefore, the purpose of spiritual formation is to ultimately lived out in community. This aligns with my view of personal and corporate spiritual formation. If we are not conformed to the image of Christ, we cannot incarnate in our relationships with others. Therefore, if we say we love God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit we are to love others. The image of Christ will be seen as the ultimate reality of human wholeness, the consummation for which each heart longs (Mullholland, p. 21). Therefore, God’s people has a role in healing brokenness and injustice in the world (p. 21). We are to be the salt and light of the world (Matthew

By acknowledging each individual’s status as a child of God, the damning effects of fear, deception, and hatred can be eradicated by the powerful love of Christ. For Thurman, the true spirit of Christian relationships rests in the ability to love one’s enemies. Although this specific teaching is not new or unique, its application to Christian relationships (especially between the “disinherited” and the “privileged”) is extremely pertinent. Enmity between two individuals or two groups of individuals causes a physical and spiritual disunion that obstructs the individual’s ability to experience the power of Christ. Therefore, I must resolve to always demonstrate an attitude of love toward my enemies in order to preserve the unity that is so vital to genuine spiritual experience. Ultimately, I found Howard Thurman’s theory on the “disinherited” to be both logically valid and extremely thought provoking. In truth, I experienced a deeper engagement with Thurman’s ideas than any other spiritual practitioner that I have explored thus far this semester. This study has caused me to reflect on my own status as a “privileged” individual, realize my need to identify with the “disinherited,” and remember to demonstrate love to my

Christianity experienced many pitfalls along the path to fulfillment. As in history, today we find ourselves learning Christ’s lessons

The story Till We Have Faces reveals how our selfishness not only damages our relationships with others and our ability to love, it inhibits us to see God’s saving love and his eternal plan.

In a world that does not know the Gospel anymore, we must indulge in it, and love our fellow community though they may not share similar values, but find balancing in still remaining in our own values. Though many of times we find ourselves in opposition of the majority of the world, we must exude Christ love onto others as He does to us unconditionally. The author addresses ways in which we are able to live out our faith and still find a place within our community though they may not share similar values.

By him not playing with the toys and reading a book as we waited, was his behavior of love towards me. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Paul speaks of love as being, patient, kind. Then he goes on to say, “love is not jealous or boastful or proud, or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no records of being wronged. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every situation” (New Living Translation). Then Paul reminds us after he goes mentions behaviors as, having the ability to speak all languages of earth and angels (verse 1), and had the gift to prophecy, had the full secrets of God, and had the faith to move mountains (verse 2), given everything he had to the poor and sacrificing his body (verse 3), that without the love, these behaviors are useless. Therefore, according to Paul, love of others needs to be the reason for are choice of behavior.

As a child, I grew up in a Christian family where my dad would read to my siblings and me from the Westminster Catechism. The first question from this text asks “What is the chief end of man?” And the matching response is “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” This seemingly simple answer is something I have taken to heart and strive to live out in my daily life. For me, this looks like spending time in the Word, journaling, talking with friends and people I come into contact with about their lives, and trying to maintain a positive attitude even when things don’t go quite as I had planned. I think glorifying God and truly resting and enjoying His peace and presence is

I have also loved the fact that our professor Dr. Randall Woodard on April 2012, used this exact words in his Senior Seminar REL 498 paper “we simply need to look at the effects of difference between God’s love for man, and man’s love for God as the basis for a relationship by examining the event of Pentecost from Old Testament (Covenant) and The New Testament (Covenant). Once the law was given by Moses at Mount Sinai, it was the love of man for God that determined the strength and success of the relationship. And by proxy, his work or efforts. The result at the first Pentecost was that three thousand people died (Ex. 32: 27-29) On the New Testament in the book of Acts, that when using God’s love for man through faith or a foundation, Peter preached the Gospel and three thousand people were saved (Acts 2:41).

In our society today, it can be hard to fully understand and relate to biblical texts written in a seemingly different world. With stories of great joys and sorrows, I found that although the world we live in today is different, the messages are still highly relevant. As long as humans are still imperfect and desired filled beings, we will need the wisdom of these biblical texts to guide us. As the stories of overcoming hardships and suffering made an impression on me, the stories of love and acceptance filled me with great emotion. There are many differences that seem to separate Christians today, whether in arguments such as interpretations or certain beliefs. This has only divided an undivided religion. I found comfort and strength from texts about love and a calling for Christians to come together despite differences. In this, I found a deeper connection to myself and others.

Throughout the ages, many have tried to comprehend the human experience of love and its ineffable and mysterious force that leads us to complete euphoria or utter despair, with songs, paintings, and stories. In Plato’s Symposium, six guest including Socrates, tackle and attempt to define love amongst each other. With each attempt, and our study of Johns gospel, the intertextuality between the symposium and John 15:8-17 helps one better understand the portrait that John portrays of Jesus as the ultimate lover and only way to being fully complete.