Christian Love

Actually, loving does not take any great effort on our part because it is not something we must put forth great effort to achieve. When God enters our heart, soul, and mind, love is spontaneously produced because He is love. It is a spiritual attainment. It is the result of a cause and the cause is this: God loved us first (1 John 4:19).

This love is not produced by us. No one can love God until he knows that God loves him and we can only love God when we have perceived some reasons for doing so. Each person that has ever been saved never came to God as a lover of God, but as a sinner who had come to believe in God's love for him or her. Our love is connected with this "knowing."

When we realize God's love for us, we become acutely aware of our unworthiness. The more we recognize our own helpless state, the more we understand God's love for us; a love so great that it embraces poor sinner. We love because God first loved us.

God loves us. It is a fact affirmed and validated by the patriarchs, lawgivers, seers, prophets, apostles, teachers, deacons, evangelists. From Genesis to Revelation, a conglomeration of witnesses joined together to make this heavenly announcement: God loves us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died.

But, we cannot claim we love God if we do not love one another; for it is in loving God that we are enabled to love one another, and in loving one another, our love for God is strengthened. Human love is a response to God's love. His love within us creates goodness and transforms the unlovable into the lovable. When this miracle occurs, we discover we love not only others, but ourselves.

No greater claim can any of us make than that we love. Love is a characteristic of those who love God. Love is the great bond of fellowship which binds believers to one another, and to our Lord. We love all men-even our enemies. Like John, we do not claim to love as deeply as we desire to love; we do not claim to love as much as we expect to as we progress in the faith, but we do claim to love. There is no guessing, no speculation, no assumptions, and no inferences.

We Christians stand side by side with John and thousands of others down through the generations to affirm what John declared. That somehow, even in this messed up world, even in times like these when man's inhumanity to man seem to have reached chaotic proportions, we love and we do it because God lives in us and God is love. This is God's eminent challenge to man and one of man's greatest trials.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available soon.

MORE RESOURCES:

Van Morrison takes listeners on his spiritual journey - Los Angeles Times

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-morrison9-2009jan09,0,7244840.story%3Ftrack%3Drsscid=1291214235ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNHvQTmZIxTYY3nBpkpw0tpGiNJ46gimg src=http://nt0.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=QEGmml6uThAJimgurl=www.latimes.com/media/photo/2009-01/44429821.jpg width=80 height=45 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Los Angeles Times/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-0fd=Rurl=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-morrison9-2009jan09,0,7244840.story%3Ftrack%3Drsscid=1291214235ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNHvQTmZIxTYY3nBpkpw0tpGiNJ46gVan Morrison takes listeners on his bspiritual/b journey/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fLos Angeles Times,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobr6 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1I decided to end the show on a bspiritual/b note.quot; He said that whether the audience senses that bspirituality/b or not is almost incidental. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Google Launches quot;School of Spiritual Growthquot; [Perks] - Examiner.com

Best Life Week Spirituality 101 on Oprah - Examiner.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.inentertainment.co.uk/20090109/free-suze-orman-book-download-from-oprahcom/cid=1290671658ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNHpnu1fYOZ8QU9PGPXH0ulwmbqZCAimg src=http://nt2.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=zqQizZfMu3IJimgurl=www.inentertainment.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/free-suze-orman-book-download-from-oprah-com.jpg width=80 height=71 alt= border=1brfont size=-2In Entertainment/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-0fd=Rurl=http://www.examiner.com/x-1869-New-England-Fitness-Examiner~y2009m1d7-Best-Life-Week-Spirituality-101-on-Oprahcid=1290671658ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNFa-jLWN6OamgsEpeQbIk6MT-3TMwBest Life Week bSpirituality/b 101 on Oprah/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fExaminer.comnbsp;-/font nobr19 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1by Jo Levy, New England Fitness Examiner Day 3 of Oprah#39;s Best Life Week was based on bSpirituality/b. You may want to ask me what bspirituality/b has to do with b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-1fd=Rurl=http://www.bestsyndication.com/%3Fq%3D20090107_spirituality_101_coping_with_lifes_problems_best_life_week_oprah_winfrey_show.htmcid=1290671658ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNEgKxcouziTjCAeEIjMkkxIXI1rnAbSpirituality/b 101 – Job, Money, Family – Oprah’s Best Life Week on b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBest Syndication/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-2fd=Rurl=http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2009/01/oprahs-best-lif.htmlcid=1290671658ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNE3_RtCNGEhy2C87dwkMvmmiu62hwOprah#39;s Best Life Week continues with bspirituality/b advice, Suze b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe TV Guy/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-3fd=Rurl=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/01/09/lkl.suze.orman/cid=1290671658ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNFRIBQRjlh1Sf3U_3mTLZpr7G-UcASuze Orman: You need an action plan/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrCNN International/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-4fd=Rurl=http://www.turnto10.com/jar/news/consumer/article/ormans_action_plan_available_for_free_download/8914/cid=1290671658ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNHS_QqkGmR2ezbMSYgRi7fbCmDmHQnobrTurn to 10.com/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-5fd=Rurl=http://lifehacker.com/5126615/download-suze-ormans-2009-action-plan-free-this-week-onlycid=1290671658ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNGEcSZYGuSB3kWdCTF6tBpE4NZSnwnobrLifehacker/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1290671658hl=ennobrall 16 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Spirituality May Help Adolescents Cope With Chronic Illness - Science Daily (press release)

Spiritual convenience food for the God-shaped hole in your life - Irish Times

Spirituality Is Key To Kids#39; Happiness - Science Daily (press release)

Study: Spirituality adds happiness to kids - United Press International

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/01/08/Study_Spirituality_adds_happiness_to_kids/UPI-29251231432957/cid=0ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNG5ervAlzIFkwNWRnhQpSzAKKlDvgimg src=http://nt0.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=9OTPlmLnFIkJimgurl=photos.upi.com/story/w/581d1c0de05f1e7d190c1383bccc77ee/Study_Spirituality_adds_happiness_to_kids.jpg width=80 height=55 alt= border=1brfont size=-2United Press International/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-0fd=Rurl=http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/01/08/Study_Spirituality_adds_happiness_to_kids/UPI-29251231432957/cid=0ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNG5ervAlzIFkwNWRnhQpSzAKKlDvgStudy: bSpirituality/b adds happiness to kids/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fUnited Press Internationalnbsp;-/font nobr16 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-18 (UPI) -- Increasing children#39;s bspirituality/b boosts their self-worth and happiness, while religious practices have little effect, a Canadian study b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

The spiritual tragedies in Obama#39;s choice of Pastor Rick Warren - Examiner.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.examiner.com/x-806-SF-Spirituality-Examiner~y2009m1d7-The-spiritual-tragedies-in-Obamas-choice-of-Pastor-Rick-Warrencid=1291173460ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNFbDQyj5qHvLS2vxFmbVF61Q31pPQimg src=http://nt0.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=CI83Uq0G7sIJimgurl=image.examiner.com/images/blog/author/img455Bonder-Saniel.jpg width=80 height=67 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Examiner.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-0fd=Rurl=http://www.examiner.com/x-806-SF-Spirituality-Examiner~y2009m1d7-The-spiritual-tragedies-in-Obamas-choice-of-Pastor-Rick-Warrencid=1291173460ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNFbDQyj5qHvLS2vxFmbVF61Q31pPQThe bspiritual/b tragedies in Obama#39;s choice of Pastor Rick Warren/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fExaminer.comnbsp;-/font nobrJan 7, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1by Saniel Bonder, SF bSpirituality/b Examiner Most people aren’t thinking a whole lot, right now, about the Pastor Rick Warren/Obama Inauguration controversy. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

San Carlos honors Geronimo#39;s courage, spirituality and intellect - Arizona Silver Belt

University Professor: ‘I liked the message of awareness and ... - The Epoch Times

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-0fd=Rurl=http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/content/view/9960/cid=1290785823ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNGvoxV2_RQLEgEtxN0Q_IoqgVcJiQUniversity Professor: ‘I liked the message of awareness and b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Epoch Times,nbsp;NYnbsp;-/font nobrJan 8, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1“I liked the message of awareness and bspirituality/b,” said Mr. Greenaway. “That’s how I live my life, with compassion and kindness. b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-1fd=Rurl=http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/content/view/9852cid=1290785823ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNHpAuCt5o1857ZeBpzCpcEsYLrMewArtist: It Is #39;very spiritually uplifting#39;/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Epoch Times/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-2fd=Rurl=http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/content/view/9948cid=1290785823ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNE2GXNdIj0JzflV3rn2m_RZ-0lI0wMore Than Meets The Ear – Profound Inner meaning of DPA Deeply b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Epoch Times/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-3fd=Rurl=http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/content/view/9955cid=1290785823ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNEDDFA6KfMF9fox1UfHc_jE9Dyv0QDivine Performing Arts Returns to Enthrall Canadian Theatregoers/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Epoch Times/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-4fd=Rurl=http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/content/view/10000/cid=1290785823ei=fxJnSZKGHou-9gSQqJyoDQusg=AFQjCNHH_nqRole8pSWdcqtaDfEkAHyfmwnobrThe Epoch Times/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1290785823hl=ennobrall 72 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Spirituality - Google News

RELATED ARTICLES

Addiction and Confession
ADDICTION: - There are numerous obsessions and addictions which prevent the soul from healing or achieving its potential. Father Leo Booth and John Bradshaw have written a book on religion as an addiction that I have quoted in many other books so I will present another side to the issue here.

CEROMANCY: The Fine Art of Candle Reading
Lately, I have been asked a lot of questions in the Psychic Realm chatroom about "ceromancy". That is the fine art of reading a situation by studying the way a candle burns.

Go Beyond - You Are Your Own Best Friend, So Start Liking Yourself!
A year ago, a beautiful woman came to see me. Her husband had been cheating on her and she wanted some advice regarding her future.

Response - Ability Divine Source
The time has come for the mass population on Earth to respond with each of your Divine ability to connect to your Higher Self, God, Holy Spirit, or whatever name you may give to your Highest and purest Spiritual connection to All That Is in the universe.This is the "I AM" Presence within you.

A Celebration of Life
As human beings it is inherent to want to self-actualize and build lives of deep profound meaning. This is what each of us came here to do.

Whats Missing from Your Nutritional Plan?
IS FAITH - NOT VITAMIN C WHAT'S MISSING FROM YOUR NUTRITIONAL PLAN?Being a nutritionist in private practice for 12 years, I'm not suggesting to neglect the thirteen vitamins and seventeen minerals essential to the human body. I have made a career training over ten thousand patients the techniques of proper nutrition to manage their weight and health.

It Took a Banker to Show Me What Jesus Was Talking About
On January 13th 1982 an Air Florida flight crashed off the 14th Street Bridge in Washington DC. It was a bridge I had traveled across many times before during the year I lived in DC.

Run Forest Gump Run
In the movie "Forest Gump" we see Forest succeedin just about every aspect of his life. What weadmire most about him is his ability to overcomephysical obstacles all throughout his life.

Look! Its Another New Age!
There's nothing new about "the new age" except the attitude of the souls participating in it. I bet every soul who chose to incarnate into this particular historical era shook their little energy heads and said, "Oh, no! Not again!"Spiritual enlightenment is the very purpose of life as thinking, feeling human beings here on the planet Earth.

Well Being and Your Authentic Voice
In Corrogue I feel wonderful.As friends know I love singing.

Ten Soul-Tending Principles for Women
Feeling restless?� Is part of you calling out for change, though you don't yet know what that looks like, or what you most need? Well, maybe, just maybe, you need a little soul nurturing.� Try one or more of these nurturing principles on for size: 1.

I Think Ill Just Go Fishin
I said something last week I haven't said in years. Where it came from, I really don't know.

Are Your Children Growing Up Too Fast?
Each time our children graduate from one stage to another (i.e.

Are you Bringing Light or Discord?
We are living in highly challenged times. Our mass consciousness directly reflects the discord in which many of us find ourselves within our own personal lives.

Communion - The Key to Experiencing the Abundant Life of God
Now, we all know that we shouldn't be lead by our emotions, right?But in saying that lies a paradox, even though we are not mean't to be lead by our emotions, in the end, we always will be.The reason is that whenever there is a struggle between will power and emotion, our emotions will win hands down every single time.

When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Why do bad things happen to good people? Surely this is a question all of us ask from time to time. Some of Jesus' listeners asked Him the same question.

Homeless, Rejected, and Poor
Fanny J. Crosby's famous hymn, "Tell Me the Story of Jesus," describes the Savior in terms of Isaiah 53: "He was despised and afflicted," and then adds, "homeless, rejected, and poor.

Ego - Why Do We Have One?
Why do we have an Ego?Almost all spiritual guides say that we must eliminate or dispose of our ego before we can reach enlightenment. If this is true, then why did our creator burden us with an ego to start with? Would it not have saved considerable struggle just to let us be born with only a spiritual side and not have an ego to fight with all the time? A fight that most people seen to loose.

Heal Emotional Difficulties With Your Imagination
How did an artist accidently learn healing visualizations and improve his life? How can you do the same? Read on.Last year a family counselor approached me and said, "You're an artist, why don't you do up some feeling cards for us?"Looking confused, I asked, "what are feeling cards?""When all else fails, she replied, we use them to stimulate therapeutic conversations with clients and their families.

Picture This (Part Two)
In part one, I described an existence that is absolute, and a being of perfection that only the creator would know, this is the source of all that is, this is what many would call God.In the physical world about as close as we could get to imagine the same reality as the creator would be within the "White Room," experiment.