KNIT TOGETHER WITH BONDS OF LOVE, A LOVE THAT LASTS FOREVER

•  God’s love for us is forever
• We are knitted together with bonds of love that are eternal
• We are to continue to grow in love and charity in the body of Christ  This love is gentle and kind with a humble and tenderhearted attitude
• Love never gives up
• Love never loses faith
• love always endures through every circumstance
• love is always hopeful
• love lasts forever! 1 Cor 13:8

The bible tells us that God’s love for us lasts forever.  He has chosen you as His own people(1 Thes 1:4). We are told that we are knit together with bonds of brotherly love – and this love in Christ lasts forever. Jesus told us that three things last forever – faith, hope, and love- and the greatest of these is love.  I can’t imagine a greater gift, it’s a gift that all the money in the world can’t buy. This is what it means to be rich in the things that don’t belong to this world.

• Could all the money in the world buy eternal salvation?
• Could all the world’s gold buy God’s love and mercy for us eternally?
• Could all the galaxies put together be enough to pay the price for us to enter the Holy of Holies before a perfect, just and holy God?

Jesus made the greatest sacrifice for us – a love we can’t understand – that He would pay the price for us. If you read the Song of Solomon, you will read about a great love between a king and his bride. That love, that we can understand from an earthly standpoint, times infinity is the love that God in heaven has for you.

We know that this world and all the things the world craves after will one day come to an end. (1 Peter 4:7) but the love we have from the Lord and for others will never end– it’s forever!  According to scripture, when we die, the love we have for others is still alive- and it’s forever.

Brotherly love

You must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. 1 Peter 1:22

“or thy friend, which is as thine own soul” Dt 13:6

Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 1 Peter 3:8

Consider the verse in 1 Samuel 18:1- And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

KNIT TOGETHER

In Colossians, Paul talks about our hearts being knit together in love. If love lasts forever, then this knitting of believers in love also lasts forever. I guess you could say this is another way of seeing the body of Christ, Christ being the head. Also, a way as seeing believers as a vine or tree as described in scripture. The Jewish people being the branches and gentiles, by God’s grace, being grafted in as heirs, sons and daughters.

“That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.” Colossians 2:2-4

 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.  Col 2:15-22

This verse says that we are to grow together in strength and knowledge in Christ, the head of the body of believers knit together in love.

A Love THAT  lasts forever

 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 1 Corinthians 13:8

LOVE IS

• Patient
• Kind
• Not jealous or boastful or proud
• Not rude
• Does not demand it’s own way
• Keeps no record of wrongs
• Does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices in the truth
• Never gives up
• Never loses faith
• Always hopeful
• Endures allA person who has no love is dead. Real love is what Christ did for us, so we should also give our lives up for others. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?  Let your faith grow as you walk in moral excellence, adding knowledge of God’s word in your heart and mind daily. Practice self-control and patient endurance with godly character as you walk in brotherly love with everyone.  1 John 3:141 John 3:16 1 John 3:17  2 peter 1:5-7

Walking with God : Moses, Enoch, Noah, David  and YOU

^“And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle Ex 33:11

And Enoch walked with God. Genesis 5:22-24

 Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God Genesis 6:9.

 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Acts 13:22

God wants to walk with you

 For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people 2 Corinthians 6:16

 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

All this love stuff sounds great, but if we aren’t walking right with God, we are fooling ourselves.  If we have all the gifts of God but don’t have love, we are nothing. If we could move mountains and speak the language of angels, but don’t have love, we are nothing. If we were filled with all wisdom and knowledge but didn’t love others, we are nothing. If we give to the poor and spend our time serving the church and others, but didn’t love others, we are nothing. You can boast about all these great things, but without love, you have gained nothing.

Get rid of all bitterness, anger, sin and unforgiveness. Ask God to search your heart to see if there is anything hiding  that has separated you from Christ.  Are you holy ? You were created to be holy as He is holy. Are you lukewarm? Are you half in the world and its ways and a half baked Christian? It’s time to grow up, cut off the sins and the ways of the world and get right with God. Love Him with all your heart, draw close to Him and He will draw close to you.  Grow in love, being knit together in love with other believers, bringing others in and snatching them from death.

How awesome is God’s eternal love for us! How awesome that we are knitted together in love forever!  May your love for others abound in Christ!

A Prayer for your bible study group

Lord,  I pray for our group this morning, fill us with a  desire to seek you and know you. Thank you Lord that you draw near to those who draw near to you. May we say as David did, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God”.   Lord, I thank you that you have called each one closer to you to know you,    Lord, keep my eyes on you and keep me in constant prayer for each one of your precious daughters. Let them know how much you love them even though this love is too great for us to understand. Give them time to spend with you each day even though their lives may be filled with so much the world puts on them, Lord I pray that you would give them the time to study your word and the confidence to go before your throne.    May this study bring us closer to you, purify our hearts and keep our loyalty on you alone. Show us our wrongs and teach us  the right way.  Keep us from becoming lukewarm or indifferent to you, keep us on the narrow path to salvation.  Lord, I pray that our meetings be like those of the first apostles, full of power, faith and salvation in Christ Jesus. Lord I pray that our lives would change, we would see your amazing power and have a powerful prayer life in Christ.    As we prepare to enter you Holy Place, search our hearts, test us and know our anxious thoughts, show us anything in us that offends you and lead us along the path of everlasting life.     May the fire of your Holy Spirit fill our hearts and may your power be present  in our gatherings as we come together to pray, worship and study your word.     Lord bless their lives as they seek you, give them understanding as they read your word and wisdom in the paths you have set before them.  For those who are downcast or struggling, remind them that You are the lifter of their soul, you hold them by the hand and carry them through. You are our redeeming Savior may you fill their lives with more than enough and pull them out of harms way. Your thoughts are above our thoughts, O Lord, how can we know the way?  Open our eyes, as you did to Hagar that we can see the hope we have in you, that we know you will never leave us, you are there with us every step of the way. Light the path that we are to go, as we stop, ask and obey your leading.  Your word says that your peace will guard our heart and mind, thank you for such a wonderful gift. Lord, I pray that your supernatural peace would guard our minds and our hearts and that our hearts would meditate on your word as we say “Lord, my heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast”. Truly your glory and mercy is too much for us to understand.                    Thank you that your ways are above ours, remind us to put our trust in You alone and not in the words of man or the logic of the world. For your ways are far above anything we could think or imagine. Fill our hearts with the Joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, that in whatever condition or situation we are in, we will always praise your great name. You are our banner, our peace, our protector, our shield, our Savior and the God who saves.  Fill us with all wisdom and understanding that we may walk in your ways. Search our heart, O God , and show us anything that is not pleasing to you.  Thank you for drawing near to each of your beloved daughters in this study.  Being in your presence through Jesus Christ and the Power of the Holy Spirit is truly the greatest gift.                 Lord, give us your servants great boldness in proclaiming your name and your Word. Stretch out your hand with healing power and may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus. We remember Lord, that you are the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. You word is send out and it never comes back void, it accomplishes all you want it to accomplish         We praise you today, we look forward to the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Lord bless our group, and look with favor upon your beloved daughters as we draw near to you and our hearts sing praises to  your name.  In Jesus name, Amen Lord, you are    El Shaddai – The all sufficient One, The One who holds me, in whom I trust El Elyon – The God Most High, You rule the affairs of men Adonai -Beloved Lord and Master El Olam – The everlasting God Jehovah Jireh– The Lord will provide, He is my helper Jehovah Nissi – The Lord my banner, He goes before me Yahweh – Lord, Jehova Jehova- raah – The Lord my Shepherd Jehovah Rapha – The Lord who heals Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is there Jehova Tsidkenu – The Lord our righteousness El roi – The God who sees, and delights in our lives Jehovah Mekoddishkem- The Lord who sanctifies you Jehova Sabaoth – The Lord of hosts. Lord of Heavens Armies Jehova Shalom – The Lord is peace Elohim– The Creator © http://www.prepareforthelamb.wordpress.com, 2010-2015. 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