Olive Branch Discipleship Ministries

1/19/20

Love and Hate.  The Attitude Twins.  One is negative and harmful and one is positive and healthy -as it stays in balance.

There are 3 kinds of love: Ergo, Philia, and Agape.

Ergo:  best described as romantic or fleshly love

Philia: a brotherly love, love for fellow man and friendships
Agape: God's faithful love, love that forgives and covers over sin, a love that inspires righteousness

Of the 3, we as Christians, should be moving in Agape love. We should be developing

God's love in our life to be more like Him, to be Christ-like in attitude and actions. This kind of love involves discipline, knowing God's character and the Word, and purposing to do the right thing. This kind of love involves responsibility and accountability. We must understand forgiveness and making people around us accountable for their actions and words and attitudes. There is no excuse to behave badly just because a Believer in Christ Jesus is to love and forgive or is under God's grace. Our heavenly Father holds his Believers to a much higher standard because we should know the Word and know Jesus. It doesn't mean we cannot get angry or hurt or offended but it does mean we are accountable to Christ to not harbor it within our hearts and become angry and bitter and full of criticism, becoming judgmental. After all, Jesus forgave us and was kind and patient with us before we accepted Him into our hearts, right? He also holds Believers accountable for the knowledge we have on the subject, what the Word says. .This kind of love is impossible unless we have Jesus Christ as our Savior and  our Lord, we cannot do this in our own understanding.

So, the question is: which kind of love do you initiate in your own life? How do you extend this love towards others especially when they behave badly towards us?