Do you love Me?

Jesus said that the two great commandments are to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-40). Love is the foundation for living like Jesus.

However, recently I was challenged to answer the question that Jesus asked Peter: “Do you love me?”  Of course, like most believers, I answered yes.  I know I love Him, but the more I thought about this question and my response, the more I began wonder about how I showed Him my love.  I soon realized that I really didn’t know.  Was this just empty words?  It never occurred to me how to show Jesus just how much I love Him.  I didn’t know how to do the very thing that is the basis of my whole life in Jesus – I was undone!

This began my journey into learning how to love Jesus.  Here is what the Lord told me about loving Him.

The truth about God’s love

Learn what God's love means to you

In this blog I share the two-way journaling of a good friend of ours named Pamela. Here is what the Lord had to say about His love for her.  I was really blessed, and I thought all of us would benefit from reading this expression of God’s love. (God’s words to Pamela are written in blue.)

“Love. I want to talk to you about love.

Love is:

Love is Who I am. The essence of My being is love. Love is not something I do, or grow in, or express only – it is the essence of My character, my being, my DNA – so to speak.  Every thought is love, every word is love, every action is love – only pure love. All of My creativity is love, all of My wisdom is love, all of My expressions are love because it is the composite of all that I am.

The light of My being radiates love. Whenever I give, the gift may vary, but it is always a gift from love.  The precision of My planning, the strategies, are all love.

Even the very atmosphere of heaven radiates love because the energy of My Being, which is love, permeates the atmosphere. When you are here, you will feel love, see love, breathe love, taste love, and be love because you will be transformed into My perfect image and likeness in human form just as your Elder Brother, Jesus.

Love’s intention

That is My full intention for you – to conform you into the image of Jesus Christ. My desire is a race of “love beings”My children, My sons and daughters.

When you know Me, you know love. This is what intimacy is, My child, My daughter Pamela. You are Mine, you are My love child. Get to know yourself as mine – get to know Me as yours.

When we are in the midst of a crisis, or when we are facing challenging issues, it is easy to forget how much God loves us and is concerned about us.  It is in these times that we need to be reminded of who He is and how much He cares for us.  David’s words in Psalm 103 show us how:

Psalm 103:1-6

1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—

3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

This is good medicine: take the time, draw near to God, and remember when the Lord has shown His great love to you personally.  Write these times down, and in times of stress and difficulty review them and praise Him for how much He loves you.

Even better, share them! We can all benefit from hearing examples of God’s great love for us.

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The Secret to Loving Like Jesus – Part 4

How Childlike Faith Helps us Receive God’s Love

In my last few posts I have been sharing how God has been answering the question of how to love like Jesus.  The answer is that we must personally receive and experience God’s love first.  All true love is birthed out of His love for us.

This past Easter weekend I watched the movie of C. S. Lewis’ classic book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  What a perfect movie for Resurrection Day, as it showed the power of Jesus’s sacrificial death and resurrection!

One thing that really moved me was Lucy, the youngest of the Pevensy children.  Her childlike faith made it possible for her to be the first to believe in the magical land of Narnia, to trust in talking animals and healing oil, and to really know and trust Aslan.  The negative comments, rational thought and logic of her brothers and sister couldn’t sway her–she believed!

The Secret to Loving Like Jesus – Part 3

How our Choices Help us Receive God's Love

In speaking to me about how to love, Jesus said, “Let Me show you how much I love you, so that you can overflow with My extravagant love.”  (see my blog The Greatest Question: How do I love Like Jesus Loves?) Part of my life journey has been as a student in His school of love.  I have been learning what may impede God’s love for me, and more importantly, how to receive His love.  Today, I want to share how God has helped me make choices to readily receive His love.

The Secret to Loving Like Jesus – Part 2

How to Experience God's Love Every Day

The key to loving others is first personally receiving God’s love.  We can understand that God’s love is eternal, and that He loves us. We can even cite scriptures about God’s love–but how do we really know that He loves us?  Today I want to share some of what God taught me about how experiencing His love helps us to truly know His love for us.

The Secret to Loving Like Jesus – Part 1

The Key to Loving is Receiving God's Love

If you are like me, learning to love like Jesus is your goal and greatest challenge.  Yet so often I feel that I fall terribly short.  While I know that with God all things are possible, this type of love often seems beyond my human capabilities.

Here is what the Lord said to me on this all-important subject:

“Let’s talk about love, My child. To freely give My love you must first freely receive My love. This is a basic Kingdom principle: freely receive, freely give. The more you receive, the more you have to give. But it is often hard for many to really receive My love, so their love account is often low, and sometimes even depleted. It is hard to love when you feel unloved or when you feel unlovely. So the key to loving is receiving My love. Why is this hard for so many?”

The Greatest Question: How do I Love Like Jesus Loves?

Jesus shows that all true love is birthed out of His love

When Jesus was asked “…what is the greatest commandment?” His response summed up how a disciple is to live: love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt 22:35-40)   What a challenge! 

While I strive to have a loving heart, too often I feel that I fall far short of this goal.  But Jesus knows my heart and…