September 6, 2011

  • real love

    I recently watched "The Phantom of the Opera", and was reminded of the difference between real agape love, versus fake selfish "love".   Agape love is self-sacrificing (like the two good main characters in the movie were willing to sacrifice their lives for each other, both in the immediate and in the long-term) wheras the phantom was concerned only about his own desires, reputation, and gratification.  (Until, of course...  but the contrast of "loves" is still valid...)

    It is so awesome that Jesus' love for us (His redeemed ones) and for me is complete, pure, agape love... without the slightest alloy of selfishness...  He was, is, and will ever be thinking only about what is best for us... and for the other objects of His love (His Father and His Spirit) and He is so fiercely and completely committed to us that He was willing to give up all of his own comfort, splendor, glory, etc to take the eternal punishment for us, on our behalf...  willing to die for us.

     

    "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7

    "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus 'every knee will bow', of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:4-11

    "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

tim223

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