Thanks Be To God - -For Giving Us His Grace

 

1 Corinthians 1:4

I always thank my God for you because of the grace He has given you in Christ Jesus.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 5485

GRACE: is preeminently used of the Lord's favor – freely extended to give Himself away to people (because He is "always leaning toward them"). Favor, kindness, a gift or blessing brought to man by Jesus Christ.

I have heard that the word 'grace' can be seen as an anagram, making it easy to remember: 

God's

Riches

At

Christ's 

Expense

THE GIFT OF GRACE 

Grace comes from God by way of God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ. 

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Acts 4:11, 12

(11) This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. (12) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 

Ephesians 2:4-11

(4) But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, (5)made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! 

(6) And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, (7) in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 

(8) For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not by works, so that no one can boast.

(10) For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life. 

THE WRAPPED GIFT

Acts 2:23, 24

(23) He was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. (24) But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches.

Isaiah 53 describes the suffering that God's Gift had to go through. God's Gift was not a pretty sight. It was wrapped in blood, covered with bruises and nailed to the cross: for us.

Hebrews 2:17

For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people.

Isaiah 53

Who has believed our message?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,

and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no stately form or majesty to attract us,

no beauty that we should desire Him.

He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.

Like one from whom men hide their faces,

He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Surely He took on our infirmities

and carried our sorrows;

yet we considered Him stricken by God,

struck down and afflicted.

But He was pierced for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,

and by His stripes we are healed.

We all like sheep have gone astray,

each one has turned to his own way;

and the LORD has laid upon Him

the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet He did not open His mouth.

He was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,

so He did not open His mouth.

By oppression and judgment He was taken away,

and who can recount His descendants?

For He was cut off from the land of the living;

He was stricken for the transgression of My people.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

and with a rich man in His death,

although He had done no violence,

nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him

and to cause Him to suffer;

and when His soul is made a guilt offering,

He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days,

and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

After the anguish of His soul,

He will see the light of life and be satisfied.

By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many,

and He will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great,

and He will divide the spoils with the strong,

because He has poured out His life unto death,

and He was numbered with the transgressors.

Yet He bore the sin of many

and made intercession for the transgressors.

That's God's Gift of Grace to us who believe and receive this Word, this Bread, sent down from heaven. 

RECEIVING THE GIFT OF GRACE

Romans 10:9, 10

(9) That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. (10) For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 4:23, 24

(23) Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham, (24) but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited—for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Grace is God's gift to us in Jesus Christ. We just have to accept it (believe) and open it (receive). When we get a wrapped birthday or Christmas present, we must receive the gift from the giver. If the package just sits there and we never open it, then we have never received it: we have rejected it. 

REJECTING THE GIFT OF GRACE
But what if we open the gift from the giver and we don't like it, or it's not exactly what we had in mind when we accepted the gift? Is it still ours? No. For when we have rejected what has been given us, we are still rejecting the gift, even after receiving it. 

This gift of grace from God is for everyone who receives it. Though given to the whole world, the whole world will not receive it: this gift will be rejected by many. The Gift will be rejected because of their unwillingness to believe that not only is the Gift theirs, but that the Gift-giver is loving and generous. 

Romans 2:4

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

John 3:18

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 

John 3:36

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

Mark 16:16

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

King of Glory (His Name Is Jesus) by Third Day

This Is Amazing Grace by Phil Wickham

God Gives The Victory Through Jesus Christ

 

1 Corinthians 15:57

But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3534

VICTORY: the result of a conquest, In the NT, this victory always refers to the conquest accomplished for the believer by Christ--which conquered all the powers of darkness (sin). Accordingly, death can not exert conquest over the believer. 

GOD GIVES THE VICTORY

John 3:16, 17

(16) For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

(17) For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 6:40

For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD

Romans 8:35-39

(35) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

(36) As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

(37) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

(38) For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

(39) nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8

But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:21

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 2:14

Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil.

John 1:14

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

What is God's Will for us? To have Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! If we don't have this victory, we are not living God's Will for our lives. When we do surrender our hearts and our lives to God, we live a life of victory, even if it may not appear to be victorious on the outside at times, we can be assured that we are, indeed, victorious on the inside. For God has given us the victory over sin and death and the grave through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. 

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for dying on the cross, taking my sins upon Yourself and paying the ultimate price for my wickedness. Thank You for loving me so much that I can never repay You. Please take my life and live in my heart. Make me Yours and fill me with Your Holy Spirit, that I might live the live You have purposed for me. Make me to truly know just how Wonderful You are. 

In Jesus' Name, I pray,

Amen. 

Arming The Spiritual Warrior -- Steadfastness

 1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1476

Steadfast: firm, firm in purpose, morally fixed, securely positioned, not moving off course, not fluctuating

Colossians 1:23

If indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

If you have your Thesaurus handy, you may see there are other words describing this word 'steadfast': resolute, inflexible, unwavering, unyielding. We can also see the opposite of being steadfast: unreliable, dishonest, weak. 

This word 'steadfast' occurs three times in the New Testament. Here is 1 Corinthians 15:58, 1 Corinthians 7:37, and again in Colossians 1:23. But when we search out it's definitions, we find other verses which help us understand what it means to be a Steadfast Warrior. 

Psalm 1:1-3

       Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

or set foot on the path of sinners,

or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the Law of the LORD,

and on His law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

yielding its fruit in season,

whose leaf does not wither,

and who prospers in all he does.

While forces beyond the tree's control may uproot the tree and destroy it, the tree itself does not make that decision. Here we see that being steadfast and immovable serves a purpose: it causes the tree to prosper and be fruitful. 

Why are we pursuing the tree as a symbol of steadfastness? Because the Lord compares His people to trees. Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.

PSALM 1:1

We are immovable, fixed in our purpose to glorify God with our desire to serve Him and each other in His kingdom. A Steadfast Warrior does not let him or herself be influenced by ungodly advice, nor do we walk the same paths, nor do we allow ourselves to get caught up in a crowd of mockers. A Steadfast Warrior lives a life of integrity and honor. 

PSALM 1:2

We determine to set times when we read God's Word, when we pray to God, when we praise God. We set up life-changing, soul-changing, goals and stick to them, regardless of the cost. Our social life will change. Our priorities will be realigned. The world around us will not influence how we live our lives: the Spirit of God within us will. A Steadfast Warrior lives a life of self-improvement, exercising our faith that it might grow and prosper. 

PSALM 1:3

A Steadfast Warrior sees people come to saving faith in Jesus Christ,  whose faith increases incrementally by seeing our the results of our faith happen; our prayers are answered: lost loved ones are found, the sick get healed, the dying restored, the dead are raised. 

Our souls prosper: Our emotional well-being glows when we stick to our faith in The Word of God; Our thoughts are centered on The Word of God; Our attitudes get changed, sometimes gradually, sometimes immediately. 

There is no confusion or doubt in a Steadfast Warrior. When questions arise, we seek answers in God's Word and in our prayer times with our God. And in these times, we wait for God's response.

Ephesians 4:14-15

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. 

The Steadfast Warrior does not allow him or herself to be swayed by every argument put forth, but remains anchored to the Word of God in which we have placed our hope.  We are unwavering in our faith. 

Have you ever seen the Queen's, now the King's, guardsmen standing outside Buckingham Palace or St. James Palace? They have their orders and follow them to the letter. Always on guard, alert, appearing to stare forward at all times but aware of peripheral activity, that they may be ready to defend their royal employer. 

Consider the Sentinels at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia. They serve 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for two years with strict rules that must be followed. They never relax fully while serving in this capacity. Sentinels serve with honor and are unwaveringly committed to their course. 

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

1 Peter 2:12

Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.

A Steadfast Warrior sets his/her mind on things above (Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.)  and pays no nevermind to the events happening here below. Yes, be aware of the times, but not allowing ourselves to be run, or controlled by the upheaval around us. Focus on Christ, Who waits at the finish line for His people to arrive, and crowns each of us as we cross over. 

Matthew 24:36-47

(42)  Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.

A Steadfast Warrior keeps watch for Lord's return, ever mindful of our behavior, our attitudes towards one another, our interactions with each other, the words we speak and the things we do. 

Our integrity must be upheld. We must make a decision to follow where our Christ leads us: out of the mire, through the valley of the shadow of death, up on the mountains high, across deep waters, in the fires meant to destroy us: Where He Leads Me I Will Follow. Why? Because I am a Steadfast Warrior in a spiritual war, a war in which the enemy of my soul is wily and uses every little thing to try to get me away from my post, who tries to destroy my reputation, who tries to discourage me in my walk with Christ. 

A Steadfast Warrior is always in prayer mode, alert to the devil's tactics and raising up our shields of faith to prevent his fiery darts from entering our hearts. We remain in the Word and the Word remains in us. Our souls prosper.

The Lord Is -- August

 

BRANCH

NETSER

(pronounced nay'-tser)

Isaiah 11:1

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

Jeremiah 23:5

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

Acts 13:22, 23

After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’ From the descendants of this man, God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.

Hebrews 7:14

For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, a tribe as to which Moses said nothing about priests.

KURIOS DOXA 

LORD OF GLORY

1 Corinthians 3:8

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.

GLORY: Honor, Splendor, Majesty, Praise, The Unspoken Manifestation of God

Pronounced: koo'-ree-os dox'-ah

According to my Helps/Studies, the word Kurios means "a person exercising absolute ownership rights"; Lord

This designation is used 722 times in Scripture. Repetition is meant to reinforce and imprint on us the fullness of the Word we are learning. It is not necessary for us to remember it in our minds, as what is being imprinted on our hearts is done spiritually and when we need it, the Holy Spirit will bring it to our lips and then we will speak it out. 

YAHWEH TeHILLAH

THE LORD MY PRAISE

Jeremiah 17:14

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for Thou art my praise.

(pronounced:  yeh-ho-vaw teh-hil-law') 

Deuteronomy 10:21

He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome wonders that your eyes have seen.

Exodus 15:2

The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

AIONOS THEOS

(pronounced: ahee-o'-nee-os theh'-os )

ETERNAL GOD

Romans 16:25-27

Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery concealed for ages past but now revealed and made known through the writings of the prophets by the command of the Eternal God, in order to lead all nations to the obedience that comes from faith—to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Etermal: unending, everlasting, ageless; existing both within time itself and outside  the realm of time at the same time; without beginning or end

Hebrews 9:13-15

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God! And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 

Love Is Holy

 

God Is Holy

Psalm 99:9

Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

God Is Love

1 John 4:8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Therefore, we must conclude that Love Is Holy Because God Is Love.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:17

If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

How do we, as God's temple, get destroyed by others, besides being killed for our faith? By compromising our Biblical values with worldly values, for one.

Another way is by listening, and adhering to, false doctrines which fall into three categories: alternative "Christian" thinking, anti-Christian thinking and legalism (following a bunch of rules).

All of these schools of thought fall under the category of anti-Christ. Anything Satan can do to keep people out of walking the strait and narrow path which God has set up for His people to walk in, he will do.

There is only one GOD, one heavenly Father, unlike any other father we have ever known.

There is only one JESUS CHRIST who is GOD's only begotten Son, who died on the cross in our place taking the punishment for all the sins of the whole world: from times past, times present and times future; Who overcame death, hell and the grave and walked out of the tomb wherein He had been buried: resurrected into a new life and a new body. It is He Who is seated at the right hand of God, interceding on behalf of His people (Psalm 110:1; Colossians 3:1; Romans 8:34). And He's coming back, when His Father sends Him, to collect a holy church (Ephesians 5:25-27)

There is only one Holy Spirit and he is the Holy Spirit of the Holy God, the Holy Spirit of the Holy Christ.

God is Spirit, Jesus is the Word He speaks, the Spirit is the breath by which He speaks the Word.

John 4:24

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."

John 1:1, 14

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22

"He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."

Now, knowing our God is holy and knowing He can only live in holiness, we know that his habitations must be holy, as well. When Jesus Christ washes away our sins, they all take up residence within us. We are a holy people (Titus 2:14), and as such, we are a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9), and a holy temple (1 Corinthians 3:16).

So whoever comes against us, as God's people, God's nation, God's temple, God will come against them. And win. Because He is God and His very presence demands holiness. Evil cannot withstand holiness. It will be rooted out and burned up.

1 Corinthians 13 -- Descriptive Love

 

Agape Love Described

1 Corinthians 13:1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

 1 John 4:16

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Nothing Without Love

1 CORINTHIANS 13:2

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Matthew 7:21-22

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

Love Profits Me

1 CORINTHIANS 13:3

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing.

Matthew 6:2

So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4

Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity vaunts not itself, is not puffed up.

Don't Gossip, That's Not Love

Proverbs 17:9

Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.

Forgiveness Is Love

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

Clothed In Love

Colossians 3:12

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Love Behaves Itself

1 CORINTHIANS 13:5

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil;

1 Corinthians 10:24

No one should seek his own good, but the good of others.

Romans 15:1-2

We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Love Shares The Joy of God's Grace

1 CORINTHIANS 13:6

Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

Here, the word REJOICE, is from the Greek word sugchairó (pronounced soong-khah'-ee-ro), which means: together sharing or experiencing God's grace.

Knowing this, we see that it is quite impossible for those who rejoice in God's grace simply cannot rejoice in iniquity. For we know that iniquity is unrighteousness, a violation of God's justice.

They who take joy in evil cannot be joyful in grace.

Love Suffers Long

1 CORINTHIANS 13:7

Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

We Are Called to Suffer 

1 Peter 2:21

For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps.

Longsuffering Is A Fruit of The Spirit 

Galatians 5:22

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.

Longsuffering also means 'Patience'. Not patience in the way we would think, putting limits on how long our patience should last, but the patience of God, a direct result of divine Love. It is God living in us and working in us, on us and through us that produces the Fruit of Longsuffering.

Love Never Fails

1 CORINTHIANS 13:8

Charity never fails but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Faith Works Through Love

Galatians 5:6

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.

LOVE TRUSTS GOD

1 CORINTHIANS 13:9

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

1 Corinthians 8:2

The one who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.

1 Corinthians 2:9

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

I, admittedly, do not know everything I want to know or think I need to know about being a good Christian. But I do know enough to know that I need to be more rooted and grounded in the Word of God, that I need a Savior and His name is Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God.

I do know that righteous living profits me not only in eternity but as I live my life now according to the Word of God; not just to the best of my ability but also in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

I know that much. When I need to know more, the Spirit will inform me. Until then I'll "Only Trust Him" as the song says. 

Love Awaits Perfecting

1 CORINTHIANS 13:10

But when that which is perfect is come, then that which in in part shall be done away.

1 Corinthians 9:24

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.

Philippians 3:12

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Love Matures

1 CORINTHIANS 13:11

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

In his or her lifetime, the born again believer, regardless of chronological age, is nevertheless viewed by God as His child.

And just like little children, we speak in the language of childhood, we understand very little of perfect Christian maturity and we think like little children. We may be mature in the Word but until the Word matures in us, we are still little children.

When the Word fully matures in us, childhood of this life will dissipate and we will be changed.

Are you ready?

Love Makes Me Known To God

1 Corinthians 13:12

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1 Corinthians 8:3

But the one who loves God is known by God.

1 Corinthians 2:9

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Looking at God through our physical eyes, and even our less than perfect spiritual eyes, is like looking in a tinted mirror or dirt-grimed window: not seeing clearly. 

But someday when we are in His eternal presence in His heavenly realm, we will see Him in all His glory and perfection. 

Someday we will see His just as clearly and plainly as He sees us.

Love Greater Than Faith, Hope

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Do All Things In Love

1 Corinthians 16:13, 14

Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong. Do everything in love.

Love Is Sincere

Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good.

Love Is Pure

The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith. 

Love Is Generous

1 John 3:15-17

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.  By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?

Love Is Kind & Forgiving

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

Love Covers Us

Colossians 3:12

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.