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.

affordable house cleaning Park Ridge ..

In The News:

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

Christian Love

Spirituality