The Measurement of Love!

Is there a measurement of love? You know a scale or a guide to measure against. Something to measure the length and the depth? Most people just figure love is love. They figure love is an emotion. Well maybe, or maybe that's just a half truth or a quarter truth (if we are measuring tongue emoticon ). Think of it this way, whether you want to call it an emotion or what, your love for friends is different than your love for a spouse. A dog receives a different measurement of love than your child does.

Is there a measurement of Gods Love? Can it be measured?

Ephesians 3:18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Yes Love has a measurement. If I were poor and poorly clothed and I asked you to give me a jacket, would your love be measured by your response? Yes it would. If you just told me to be blessed, be warmed and go in the blessing of Christ without giving me the warmth of a jacket, where is the Love? I know we can't give to everyone realistically but the point I'm trying to make is the that our love is measured upon our actions.

I was studying (drinking coffee) and waiting for a friend to show up at Starbucks earlier. I read 2 Corinthians 8:8 which reads, "I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others." The Greek meaning of sincerity in this verse means 'legitimate'. The measurement Paul was using was a black and white scale that said either its love or it isn't love. its either legitimate or is illegitimate . I'd go so far to say that inner love that never comes out is more empathy than love. Yes you have the strong feeling of this and that toward someone or something but love is having both the inner and the outward: the action following the inner.

After meditating on this scripture my buddy shows up and begins to talk about a friend of his in Dallas Texas. This friend loves God and used to be a stand up church goer. Then a tragic moment happened

in his marriage that caused divorce. He went through so much, and nobody from the Church reached out to him. After a while his heart grew cold for his Church and the members that he thought he knew so well. He hasn't been to Church since. This made me think hard about this verse while my friend was mentioning all this. You see I'm sure they loved him (without action). They most likely empathized with his suffering but nobody pasted the test of the 'sincerity of love by the diligence of others' in which Paul spoke of. For God to just tell us He loves us is much different then Him showing us He loves us.

John 15:13 (NKJ) Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Continuously throughout the entire bible God backs up His love with many actions. Yes I agree, love can be in your heart, but I disagree with love never coming out of your heart. If you truly love, according to Paul's measurement, then it will come out. Sometimes there is true love but we miss the opportunity to pass the test by standing by and missing the mark. Lets love one another in deed and not just words. That man my friend spoke of, things may be different if he just had a weekly phone call. Just one call a week. God bless and I hope this inspires you to not miss the opportunity to prove the sincerity of your love this week!

~Rich Cohrs

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More Than!

So often we pray in our times of need. We are desperate. We need God to help us. We are a defeated and tempted race of creation. HUH? We like to pray and say, "God you are more than able to get me out of this junk" Look at the following verse.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV)
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

In this verse is God "able"? No He is FAITHFUL!!! Yes He is!! Look closer, now who is "ABLE"? YEP, We are!!!! Praise the Lord. Every temptation that befalls us, God has given us the status and honor to be called "ABLE". No temptation will be able to take this status away from us. God will not allow it. He is faithful to only allow temptations that we are able to defeat. In every one of them if we just hold still, turn around, look closely, and walk in the direction of light, we'll find that door, that way of escape that God has supernaturally placed before us. We are ABLE to walk through it. We don't need a key, a secret password, a secret handshake, a paid ticket, or anything of the such. We have the name of Jesus, we have His righteousness, we have His sanctification, we have His wisdom, and we have His Spirit that crucifies our flesh. So we are ABLE by the Spirit to put to death the deeds of the flesh and every temptation that comes our way, His power is made perfect in our weaknesses.

We are able, but what else are we. According to John the apostle, we don't know what we are to be in the future but we know we will be just like Him, the Lord Jesus. So that's in the future, but what are we right now. According to Paul the apostle we are born of the Spirit, a new creation, the seed of Abraham, the righteousness of God, and we are NO LONGER DARKNESS, but we are LIGHT IN THE LORD! And last but not least, we are not just ABLE but we are also MORE THAN CONQUERS in Christ Jesus who loves us. That's right, Paul said MORE THAN conquers. So not just conquers, but MORE THAN. Wow,

that's powerful! Its one thing to be a conquer, but we've been given the honor and status of being MORE THAN a conquer. Do you believe it? Do you want to believe it? Believe it or not, its MORE THAN JUST FACT Its golden. Its set in stone. You are in Christ now and you are so much more than what you think. So if you are feeling defeated, remember your defeat is simply a deception. You've been lied to. You've been told you can't do it. Rubbish! Believe the truth. Get up and walk in the name of Jesus. Those legs aren't crippled, those eyes aren't blind, you've been touched by a Holy God and He has made you ABLE! Now get up and do what you are able to do. Conquer what you are more than able to conquer. God who loves you has made you this way. Blessing to you in Jesus name!

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Father of MERCIES!

I love how the Word of God is rich in the food from Heaven. You can't even get through the introduction of 2 Corinthians without understanding God in a more profound way. Most have preconceived ideas of God being a God of wrath and hatred. Some have the ideas that He is a good Father but if you cross Him you better run and hide. The latter is actually not to far from the first idea conceived of God after sin. Adam and Eve hid themselves from a Loving God. A God who'd rather suffer the repercussions of our sin upon His own shoulders.

(1 Corinthians 1-3-4) 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

I love the names of God. I believe they were put in place for us to better understand His virtue and character. To better know who He is. There was a time in history where man didn't know what to call God. As people began to experience the Lord they'd question like Moses, "What is His Name?' what shall I say to them?" (Ex 3:13) God responded in a non-threatening way. He said "I AM WHO I AM". Our first impression of this response is not being dumbfounded or amazed but yet clueless. You see in those times there were many Gods, with many names. God was simply stating that HE IS THE ONE. The one and only I believe. Anyway, you know I could write for hours about different names God called Himself or names Holy Spirit inspired prophets or Holy people called Him.

Look at the verse in 2 Corinthians. I ask you, "Who is this Blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ?" Can you answer that? I'm sure you could give me a little bit of your understanding. If we all calibrated we could have a bigger understanding but the truth is we know very very little of our God. But one thing we do know is His names. Here He is the Father of MERCIES!!! Wow, hope that one knocked you out on the ground of your thinking. Let me say it again. The Father of MERCIES!!! Again,

why run? Why hide? Why tarry and tarry and tarry until you feel right? The Father of Mercies not the Father of Hatred. Not the Father of Wrath. THE FATHER OF MERCIES!! If you believe otherwise you didn't learn it from the Father of Mercies, yet you learned it from the 'father of lies'. You've been lied too!

Like Adam and Eve God draws us back to himself in His Loving Mercies instead of acting like the god we perceive Him to be as we run and hide. God SACRIFICED and hid (clothed) Adam and Eve in that sacrificed skin. His Sacrifice drew them back near. He was drawing them closer. Like that first sacrifice, now God in His Loving Mercies has Sacrificed His own Son and clothed us in His righteousness. Hiding the treachery of our sin, in the past, and now removing the sin in His righteousness in this present age. We are blessed and comforted by God in this. Not just hidden but literally changed. Why would we ever run from a God like that? Why would we run from the Father of MERCIES? When we sin, who is judge? Who dares to accuse you? Is it not God who is the judge. The judge who instead of judging you called you the 'elect', 'THE CHOSEN OF GOD'? In His awesome mercies He has justified me and you. Christ has been given the authority to condemn yet it is He who has chosen to die, and furthermore is RISEN and instead of
bringing your failures to God He sits enthroned next to the Father of Mercies making intercession for the both of us. NOTHING can separate you from the Love of God because He is the Father of Mercies. Read Romans 8:31-39 and see for yourself!

Last but not least, God isn't the one bringing you the tribulations, He is the one in His Loving Mercies comforting you in your tribulations. I hope this helps you be free from your guilt, and able to venture out in the courts of God's Love and experience His Kingdom in a new way. Bless you all, chosen Generation of the Father of Mercies. God Bless you!

Living Epistles, Writing Ministry of Rich Cohrs

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