Foundations – #3

Love

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7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love, does not know God for God is love (1 John 4:7, 8).
 
Let this sink into your heart: God is love. That means He is made out of love, of course not of flesh and blood, that’s our domain.
 
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another (John 13:34, 35).
 
…You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:18c).
 
People have asked me what I am expecting to find in Heaven that can’t be found on earth? Wouldn’t it be better if God simply eliminated death?

Oh no! am expecting love in heaven. I don’t find that on earth. Pure love means to accept other human beings exactly like they are and rejoice in who they are. We know, for sure, that God is busy changing them. We don’t have that capacity. We can’t change anybody, much less ourselves. So, that’s the first thing I want in heaven is love.
 
For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).
 
I will also be very happy to find in heaven that His commandments are being kept. Everyone who lives there will practice righteousness, peace, and joy.
 
And this is his commandment; that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment (1 John 3:23).
 
His name can do everything and anything. I use His name quite literally. When something goes wrong, I just shout “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!” over and over until the situation turns.
 
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him (John 14:21).
 
Can you see how much love is going to be there? From Jesus?! From our Father?! From the Holy Spirit?! From everybody who made this trip before you?
 
Someone I know was taken up to heaven for several hours before coming back to earth. He said the first people he met up there was a family—mother, father and three children. They were on their way for canoeing in white water and a picnic afterwards. The father invited the fellow I know to join them, but the angel leading my friend thanked them and said their agenda was too filled, but when they returned from Heaven (because it was essential they return to Earth), they would take a “sunshine-check” (our word would be raincheck.)
 
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty, only do not use your liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Galatians 5:13, 14).
 
…in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess (Deuteronomy 30:16).
 
What is the one word that fulfills the law? If you haven’t figured it out yet, let me help you.  That word is LOVE!
 
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment (Philippians 1:9).
 
In heaven, we are all going to continue to learn and increase our knowledge and discernment. We’re going to find that love is the foundation of everything we learn.
 
I will love You, O Lord, my strength (Psalm 18:1).
 
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails… (1 Corinthians 13:4–8).
 
Please take the time to study Psalm 91 and memorize parts of it.

Let the Learning Begin!
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