Don't Call It Love If..

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 NASB1995)

The above passage of Scripture is the “Verse Of The Day” on Bible Gateway, which is the Bible source I use for writing on the internet. My first thought was, “I just taught on the subject of ‘love’ recently,” so I began to look at the other verses to see if I should write on something else. And, as I was contemplating this in my mind, I looked over to my left, to a little sign made for me by one of my grandsons which says, “A Little Sign to Say I Love You.” But partly covering the word “say” was a red lady bug with dark spots.

And here’s the thing. When Jesus lived on the earth he often spoke to the people in parables. So, parables are not anti-biblical as long as they agree with and support the teachings of the Scriptures. I like this definition:

“A biblical parable is a short, realistic story or analogy using everyday scenarios—such as farming, fishing, or household tasks—to teach profound spiritual truths or moral principles. Primarily used by Jesus in the Gospels to describe the Kingdom of God, these narratives function as ‘earthly stories with heavenly meanings’.” (Source: Google AI)

So, when I see something like this bug, and the Holy Spirit prompts me, I know to look at the meanings of the words in the image. So, what is a bug? It can be many things, but what stands out to me is that it is an infection, a poison, an impurity of some kind. And “spot” (in this case multiple dark spots) is also a blemish or a moral flaw (sin), which are multiplied. And dark is used consistently throughout the Scriptures to symbolize the opposite of light, such as lies, deceptions, immorality, wickedness, i.e. sinful behaviors.

Okay, so this “bug” is positioned on the word “say,” which has to do with expressing thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and/or information, either in verbal or in written form. So this would seem to indicate that there is an impurity, a lie, a deception in the words spoken, “I love you.” (This has nothing to do with who gave me this sign. This is a parable only!) And “a little sign” could be a slight (an insult) and/or an insignificant indication of actual love being present in the words spoken. So, “I Love You” is a lie, and thus an insult.

Now in the USA today, February 14th is traditionally referred to as “Valentines Day.” This celebration has pagan roots to it, and the “love” being spoken of is typically of romantic love, not the kind of love being referred to in this passage of Scripture. But it is also used in the context of friendship love, too. And the color “red” is the color associated with the holiday, which interestingly enough was both the color of the little sign and of the lady bug. Like, “though your sins be as scarlet,” so symbolic of sin (Isaiah 1:18).

So, when Jesus gave the commandment to love one another as he loved (loves) us, he was not speaking of romantic love, and he was not speaking of fake artificial love (the sign was made of plastic) spoken falsely in words only but with little to no evidence of actual love being put into practice. For how did Jesus demonstrate his love for us? He sacrificed his life for us on a cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will now die to sin and live to God in walks of surrender to him in obeying our Lord.

And this word “love” is agape, which has to do with preferring what God prefers, i.e. all that is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands. For the believer in Christ, it involves us denying self, dying to sin daily, and walking in obedience to his commands, in practice, by the Spirit. So, when we say that we love God, or that we love other humans, it should be this kind of love which is honest, faithful, and pure, and not fake, impure, and deceptive. 

So, if you claim to love God, and to be in fellowship with him, but while you walk in darkness (in sin), and while you do not obey his commands, in practice, the Bible says that you are telling a lie. And if you say to your spouse, “I love you,” while you deliberately and habitually sin against them via addiction to sexual sin and adultery, don’t call it love. Don’t lie. Don’t give your spouse a valentines card and a hug and a kiss if you are secretly looking at sexually explicit images and committing adultery in your minds.

Don’t call it love if it is hate in disguise. For adultery against your spouse is hate, not love. And refusal to obey our Lord’s commandments and to walk in love and in moral purity is also hate, not love. For biblical love is not based in emotions and in lies to cover up sin. And a valentines day card is not proof of love. If cheating is what is taking place in the background, it is an insult. Be honest. Be sincere. Don’t lie. Don’t cheat. Repent of sins of adultery and idolatry, and now love purely as God, as Christ loves us and sacrificed for us.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18] 

In Harmony  

Based off Romans 12:9-21; 1 Peter 3:8-17

An Original Work / September 2, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Love each other truly. 

Cling to what is good.

Hate all that is evil. 

Never lack in zeal.

Serve the Lord with fervor. 

Joyful in hope be;

Patient in affliction; 

Praying faithfully.

Honor one another. 

Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people

Who are found in need.

Do not be conceited.

Sympathetic be.

Love, and show compassion

In humility.

Keep your tongue from evil.

Peaceful you must be.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous;

Listens to their prayers.

But He’s against evil – 

Is His to avenge.

Do not fear what they fear.

Suffer patiently.

In your hearts, make Christ Lord.

Serve Him faithfully.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

https://vimeo.com/112832903

Don’t Call It Love If

An Original Work / February 14, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Light Has Come

 

Whoever Believes in Him

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NASB1995)

Let’s break this down biblically. Who is God? He is Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit, our triune God. He always was and he always will be. And Jesus Christ always was God, and he was with God in the beginning, and all things which were made were made by him. Jesus is our creator God. And Jesus Christ left his throne in heaven, came to earth, was born as a human baby to a virgin woman (Mary), but was conceived of the Holy Spirit, so he was not born with a sin nature as we are. And all the time Jesus lived on the earth he was God incarnate (God made flesh) who lived among the people.

[Genesis 1:26; Genesis 3:22; John 1:1-36; John 8:24,58; John 10:30-33; John 20:28-29; Romans 9:5; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8-9; 1 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Peter 1:1]

God so loved.. This word “love” means “to prefer,” “to choose,” “to prefer to love,” which is centered in moral preference and in what God prefers, which is all that is holy, just, morally pure, righteous, godly, honest, faithful, and obedient to his commands. This is the kind of love he had/has for the people of the world, that they/we would, by faith in Jesus Christ, live holy lives, pleasing to God, living morally pure and upright lives for the glory of God. From the source of this love he sent Jesus Christ to put our sins to death with him so by faith in him we will now die to sin and obey our Lord.

God gave us his only begotten Son (conceived of the Holy Spirit, birthed of a virgin woman), in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension back to heaven, where he then sent the Holy Spirit to indwell his followers, that whoever believes in him… that whoever (actively, ongoing) believing in him…which is continuous, active faith, ongoing to the very end… a faith which means to be persuaded, i.e. to be persuaded by God. And God persuades us as to his righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to now walk in obedience to our Lord, empowered by God. 

So God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – loved us humans enough to send himself, in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world, in order that he would put our sins to death with him so that, by obedient (ongoing) faith in our Lord, and in the teachings of his word, via submission to him as Lord, we would now die with Christ to sin, and be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as servants of the Lord in holy living in walks of obedience to him and to his commands. This is what it means to believe in Jesus, to have our lives belonging to God.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18] 

Unless You Are Born Again

Based off John 3:1-21

An Original Work / November 3, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Nicodemus came to Jesus.

He acknowledged God was with Him.

Jesus said, “You can’t see heaven

Unless you are born again.”

“How can a man be born when he’s old?

Can he enter into his mother’s womb?”

Jesus answered, “Flesh is flesh,

So of the Spirit, you must be.”

Jesus said to Nicodemus,

“You’re a teacher, and yet you don’t

Understand of what I tell you,

Because you will not believe.

“For God so loved the world that He gave

His one and His only Son for your sin.

So, whoever believes in Him

Has eternal life in heav’n.

“Light has come into the world,

But human beings love the darkness,

Because their deeds are so evil,

So in truth, they stand condemned.

“Everyone who practices evil

Fears that the Light will expose his sin.

Yet, whoever lives his life by the Light

Does so through his God.”

https://vimeo.com/114686371

Whoever Believes in Him

An Original Work / February 13, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Institutional Religion

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23-25 NASB1995; see also Hebrews 3:13)

This is a passage of Scripture which is often misquoted and misused to try to shame people into being in attendance at a building called “church” once a week, on a Sunday morning, to sit in a pew, or in a chair, to listen to announcements, to sing “praise and worship” songs (chosen and lead by one person), and then to listen to a sermon, usually by the same person every week, with no one testing what is being taught to see if it is biblical, and then to go home and live a normal life until the next week of required attendance where you go through the same routine all over again.

Well, first off, “the church” is not a building that you go to every Sunday morning in order to go through this weekly routine while you live however you want the rest of the time. It is not a building nor is it a place you go to. The church is the body of Christ, the universal body of believers in Jesus Christ who have trusted in him to be Lord and Savior of their lives. By faith in Jesus Christ they have denied self, died to sin, and they are now living to please God in walks of obedience to his commands, in practice, although not necessarily in sinless perfection. But we should all be growing in our faith.

The gatherings of the church are to be daily in any appropriate location on any day of the week at any time of day or night, which does not have to be a physical location, but which can be on the internet, via a phone call, or via a video call or a text message or any other means of communication between brothers and sisters in Christ where we are gathering to share with one another biblical words of encouragement and exhortation so that none of us are hardened by sin’s deceitfulness, so we are not led astray by lies and liars, and so we help one another to mature in our walks of faith in Christ.

[Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

For the whole purpose of us assembling together is not so that a small minority of people run the whole show while we sit as spectators taking in the show, while they let us sing a few pre-chosen songs, chosen by one person, and afterwards we all go home until the next week, and then repeat the same pattern. The whole purpose of us gathering together is for mutual encouragement and edification and teaching, to help one another to draw closer to the Lord in our walks of surrender to him. This is where we get to use our spiritual gifts in our assigned (by God) body parts, for God’s glory.

The church is also not a place of business incorporated under the state, partnered with the ungodly of the world, which God forbids. It is also not a business being marketed to the people of the world just like any other business, using secular marketing schemes for the purpose to attract the people of the world to your gatherings, which God also forbids. It is not a social club nor a civic center nor a place to hob-nob with the powerful and wealthy of the world in order to win friends and influence people. But this is what much of what is called “church” has turned out to be in our day.

And God is calling his children to come out from among her lest we take part in her sins and in her punishment, for God has remembered her iniquities. And he is commanding us to not be partnered with the ungodly and with their idols. And then God will be our God and we shall be his people when we go out from among those whose worship is of idols and of men, who have turned the church into a marketplace partnered with the world rather than to serve God only and to do what he says. And we are to meet with the body of Christ for mutual encouragement and edification, and not just once a week.

[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]

The Train  

An Original Work / July 17, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The train is coming down the tracks.

It captures all who in faith lack.

The engine is controlled by man;

Leads each captive to ruin.

The cars, they are God’s holy church,

Which follows men who are on the search

To trap the church in their own snare;

For Christ they do not care.

The track, it leads to God’s judgment

For those who are not repentant,

But follow, each his own stubborn way,

And Jesus they do not obey.

So God is calling to His bride

To turn from sin and in Christ abide;

Stop placing their trust solely in man;

Trust Christ for His forgiveness. 

https://vimeo.com/113676228

Institutional Religion

An Original Work / February 12, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Ministers to The Body

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:16-17 NASB1995)

 

“…but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:18-19 NASB1995)

 

As followers of Jesus Christ, and as his body parts, we all have a God-given responsibility to be ministers to the other parts (members) of the body. For the “ministers” are not just the “pastors,” but all of us are to be ministers of Jesus Christ and of his gospel message and to one another within the body of Christ, the church (the only church). For all of us of genuine biblical faith in the Lord Jesus have been given spiritual gifts, of the Spirt, and we have been assigned our body parts (ministries) by God to be put into practice.

 

We are all to be speaking the truth of God’s Word in love to one another, teaching, encouraging, lifting up, warning, counseling, and admonishing one another. We all are to help one another to grow to maturity in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord’s commands, and to not be led astray by the deceitfulness of people in their cunning and craftiness who teach a false grace gospel and not the Gospel of Christ. And we are to exhort one another every day so that none of us may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

 

[Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

 

In addition to all of that, we are to be students of the Scriptures who study them in their correct and proper biblical context, who are seekers of truth and righteousness, who desire to know, in truth, what God’s Word teaches us, because we want to obey the Word of the Lord, and our Lord. For we don’t want to be those with head knowledge only, who can recite Scriptures, and who can instruct others. But we want to be those who are putting the truths of the Scriptures into practice in our everyday lives, by the Spirit.

 

So, what we teach others we should be living ourselves, and if we are not, we should be honest about it, and then correct the areas where we are in error so that we don’t end up being hypocrites trying to teach others what we ourselves are not living. But that should not be our only reason for changing how we live. We should do what is right in the eyes of God because we love God, and because we want to obey our Lord and to live holy lives, pleasing to God, free from slavery to sin, for the glory of God, in his power.

 

And then we read here that, with all wisdom, we are to be teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. And we are to be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. But when do you see that happening in the gatherings of the church? For a “worship service” where one person picks out all the songs, and where a select few lead us in singing many songs which are not psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, is not what is meant.

 

We are to be teaching ONE ANOTHER with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs which teach the messages found in the Scriptures, which are to help us to grow to maturity in Christ, and to be encouraged in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord in holy living, which is what many of the old hymns of the faith do, but which (it seems) few of these modern-day “worship” songs actually do. So this is about us ministering to one another such songs as which help us to walk worthy of the calling of the Lord in our daily lives.

 

So, I am going to add this on here that, beginning in 2011, the Lord gave me a gift of writing such songs as what are mentioned here, and for the very purpose of what is being taught here. These are not for show. They are not for entertainment. They are not flashy and well-orchestrated and produced. They are simple songs of faith written very simply and sung by an old lady whose voice has seen better days. But they are for the encouragement of the body of Christ, which you will see if you read the lyrics.

 

And they are often included with my daily devotions, which is for your encouragement, not to entertain you. And they are examples to you of what these passages of Scripture are talking about. We need more of this in the gatherings of the church, and less showmanship and empty lyrics that do nothing to lead you to walk in faithfulness to your Lord in holy living. And if you are not familiar with the old hymns, see if you can get a copy of an old hymnal and read the lyrics. They are not all great, but many of them are!

 

To My Beloved  

 

Based off I Peter 5:6-9; Ephesians 6:10-20; James. 4:4-10

An Original Work / November 14, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Be strong in the grace of Christ, and

Put on His full armor in your fight

Against the enemy of your souls,

And resist him with all your might.

Take up the shield of your faith within you.

Salvation’s helmet – you put it on.

Put on the belt of truth,

And walk in the Spirit,

And you’ll not be ashamed.

Love your Lord Jesus; call His Name.

 

Call on your Lord and Savior, Jesus, and

Make Him Lord and King of your hearts.

Obey all of His teachings He has given

To you to follow in all His ways.

Repent of your sins. Return to your God.

Follow Him where’er He leads you now.

Humble yourselves in full

Surrender to His will

For your lives today.

Bow before Him, and humbly pray.

 

Be strong in the grace of Christ, and

Obey your Lord in ev’rything, always

Keeping His teachings in your hearts near you.

Walk with Christ in ev’ry way.

Resist the devil. He will flee from you.

Draw near to God, and He’ll be near you.

Wash your hands you sinners

And double minded.

Weep and wail o’er sin.

With Christ, your new lives begin.

 

https://vimeo.com/125863190

 

Ministers to The Body

An Original Work / February 12, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Have This Attitude

“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.” (Philippians 2:3-8 NASB1995)

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are the body of Christ, the church (the only church). And as the body of believers in Jesus Christ we are to minister to one another within the body of Christ, and we are to be taking the message of the gospel of Christ to the people of the world. This is our mission. And we are not to do this out of selfish ambition or empty conceit, looking out for our own personal interests without thought and consideration of what others need, where they are in want, where they are hurting, and how we can help.

The Lord has reminded me here of how he put it on my heart, and on the heart of my husband, to open our home to college students and to college age adults for a weekly Sunday night Bible study back in January of 1999. Two of our four children were in college at that time, but we asked all of our kids to invite their friends, and some (or all) of them did. We began small, but it wasn’t long before we had 25 to 30 young adults in our home for Bible study every Sunday night, and we fed them dinner, too, every week.

And then the Lord put it on our hearts to purchase musical instruments for them to play so we could sing songs of worship of our God together. And then we added on a game night. And we added on a Wednesday night bible study where we separated male and female, and I taught the women, and my husband taught the men, but we gathered together for singing and for fellowship and meal time. And some of the best times were when we all gathered around the kitchen and everyone had someone to talk to.

Our times together were very participatory. My husband didn’t just preach sermons, but he taught lessons and he asked questions, and the students were able to talk about what they were getting out of the Scriptures, and no one fought with anyone else. And we were forming together into a family. And everyone who wanted to participate, in various ways, was given the opportunity, either to sing or to play an instrument or to cook a meal or do clean up or whatever. We were ministering to their needs, out of love.

Now, not everything went smoothly, and we weren’t perfect in everything that we did, and this was a learning and a growing experience for us, as well. But for 7.5 years we did this weekly, mostly out of our home, although we did partner with several institutional churches for a time. But God closed the doors to those partnerships one after another after another. For that is not where he wanted us. He wanted us in the home. But the young adults graduated, and/or they got married, and eventually this all ended in 2006.

By this time I was already about 1.5 years into what God had called me to do in 2004, which I have continued to do ever since then. So, when one door closed the Lord just opened more doors for me and for the ministry to which he had called me. So, why am I telling you all of this? Well, it is what the Lord put on my heart to share, so I did share it. But I believe it is also a lesson in what it means to do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind to regard one another as more important than yourselves.

For when my husband and I ministered to those youth for 7.5 years, it was not out of any selfish ambition that I am aware of, but it was out of love for the students and the young adults and their needs. We didn’t get paid money for what we did. We didn’t charge anyone anything, either. Toward the end we were working toward turning this into a church plant, so a few people gave their tithes to the ministry, but that was the exception, for sure, and it was not at our request. For what we did we did free of charge.

And the same has continued with the ministry the Lord has given me which I do full time. And my husband and I are not wealthy people. We live on Social Security. But we have all that we need. And we have enough to where we can give to others, too. And this has nothing to do with bragging, okay? The Lord is just using this as an example here of what it looks like to care more about others and their needs and to not look for some kind of monetary or otherwise recompense. It is a model, not a self pat yourself on the back.

We who are followers of Jesus Christ are to be ministering to the body of Christ and to the people of the world in showing them the love of Jesus and in sharing with them the truth of the gospel of our salvation, without looking for anything in return. And, if we are called of God, God will meet our needs. And if we have to, we can go without some things in order to minister to others free of charge. For we are to empty ourselves, and we are to humble ourselves, and we are to lead others to walks of faith in obedience to God.

Ministers of Our God  

An Original Work / June 21, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Ministers of our God, 

harken to hear Him speak.

Have you given Him 

your hearts and souls today?

Hasten to give all to Him. 

Let Him cleanse your hearts from sin.

Cast yourselves on His altar. 

In your lives do not falter.

Ministers of our God, 

harken to hear Him speak. 

Have you given Him 

your hearts and souls today?

Ministers of our God, 

flee from all your idols.

Remove them from your lives. 

Be transformed today.

Listen to the words I say. 

Give your all to Christ today.

Let him rule within your hearts, 

cleanse from sin, His grace impart.

Ministers of our God, 

flee from all your idols.

Remove them from your lives. 

Be transformed today.

Ministers of our God, 

won’t you come to His cross?

Die to sin and yourselves. 

Penitently pray.

Humbly accept Him today. 

Let Him wash your sins away.

Receive Him into your hearts. 

His mercy and grace impart.

Ministers of our God, 

won’t you come to His cross?

Die to sin and yourselves. 

Penitently pray.

https://vimeo.com/127504455

Have This Attitude

An Original Work / February 12, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Love Rejoices with The Truth

“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NASB1995)

The love being spoken of here is not of human flesh, based on human feelings and emotions which can fluctuate from day to day, and situation to situation, and which is based in the one to whom the love is being given, whether or not they are deemed worthy of the love. For we demonstrate this kind of love to others whether we feel like it or not, and even if the one we are loving hates and mistreats us and is our enemy. For this love comes from God, and it means to prefer what God prefers, all that is holy and godly, etc.

Love is patient: It is persistent and persevering and enduring even when the one we are loving does not love us back, and even if the one we are loving treats us with hate, disdain, ridicule, and betrayal. It loves even when not loved in return. It loves the hater, the adulterer, the liar, the unfaithful, the thief, the persecutor, and the abuser, et al. But love does not pacify sin. It speaks the truth in love to the sinner with the hope that the sinner will die to their sin and now obey God with their lives, and will live now to please God.

Love is kind: Please know that it is never kind to lie to people just to make them feel good, or so that they will like you and will think well of you and not reject you. Speaking the truth, in love, is kind. Being generous, caring, thoughtful, compassionate, and considerate is kind. Helping others who are in need is kind. Sharing words of encouragement and hope, provided it is truth, and not lies, is kind. And exposing the lies of Satan and sharing the truth of the gospel is definitely kind, for it has to do with life and death.

Love is not arrogant: It is not loving to be boastful, proud, haughty, self-important, selfish, self-centered, thinking only of self and what’s in it for you. Love is God-centered, thinking of doing what is pleasing to God, and it is others-centered, thinking of the needs of others. If it is all about you and what you want and what you think you need without regard for others and their needs, it is not love. So, if you are married and you cheat on your spouse and you lie about it and you won’t stop, please don’t call it love.

Love does not act unbecomingly: It does not act improperly, indecently, in a manner which is obscene, immoral, lewd, and crude. It is not unfaithful, adulterous, idolatrous, sexually promiscuous, and unrestrained. And this isn’t just about how one behaves in the public eye where everyone else can see, but this has to do with how you behave and what you do when no one else is looking, too. Sexual immorality, for instance, is off the charts right now, and much is done in secret. And God does see, even if others don’t.

Love is not easily provoked: It is not easily angered, goaded, and/or incited to intense anger, resentment, bitterness and rage resulting in acts of violence, hatred, false accusations, and getting even (trading tit for tat) with others who one thinks did them wrong. We should not be “hot heads” who are easily enraged, often reacting with irrational, intense, and/or quick-tempered outbursts. And we should not be quick to jump to conclusions without thought and conversation and self-examination as to why angry.

Love does not get even: It is not bitter, resentful, hateful, spiteful, unforgiving and intolerant towards others who do us wrong to the point of spite and a desire to want to get even, i.e. to “trade tit for tat.” It is not retaliatory (revengeful) toward others who hurt us and who do us wrong, just waiting for that moment to do to others as they did to us. Instead, love is forgiving, but forgiveness is not giving permission for others to sin against us. It is inviting them to change, to do what is right, and to be loving.

Love does not rejoice with evil, but it rejoices with the truth: And this includes our entertainment choices, if we are ones who are given to entertainment. And this includes movies, TV shows, news shows, sports, politics, music, art, theatre, and anything which we willingly choose to watch, to listen to, and to take into our ears, our eyes, our minds, and our hearts. Do we laugh at and with what is pure evil? Or do we hate the evil and cling to the good? Is it the good and the godly with which we rejoice?

Now, when this says that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things, “all things” does not include all that is sinful, wicked, immoral, unrighteous, hateful, spiteful, and disobedient to God. It is just providing a concluding remark to sum up all that was said previously. We bear up against being treated badly, and we walk by faith in our Lord, and not by sight. We are people of hope and not of despair who endure all kinds of mistreatments, sufferings, and persecutions for the glory of God.

Make Me a Servant

By Kelly Faye Willard

Make me a servant

Humble and meek

Lord let me lift up

Those who are weak

And, Lord, may the prayer

Of my heart always be

Make me a servant

Make me a servant

Make me a servant today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pv8bY61S2M

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Love Rejoices with The Truth

An Original Work / February 11, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love