That is SO TRUE and that goes with your verse above.
For God hath not given us
the spirit of fear; but of power,
and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
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Julie;
The First Love of God's children is perfectly defined in Scripture
so - rather than provide my words -- I would recommend
that those really interested in the meaning - to carefully and prayerfully look to
the Word of God only for guidance on this .
I will offer places in Scripture that were helpful
to me on this : Deuteronomy 7:6-9 , Luke 14:26 , Ephesians 4:1-6, Revelation Chapter 2
I don't want to eat too much.
Deut 7:6-9
6 "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
7 "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,
8 but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 "Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; (NAS)
Good verses Julie, regarding the love God has for His chosen, and it isn't because we loved God but God has a SPECIAL LOVE for those He has chosen for His own, much like a mother who has a SPECIAL UNIQUE KIND of LOVE for her own children than the love she has for others.
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Luke 14:26
26 "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. (NAS)
That's it in a nutshell isn't it Julie? Truly being a Christian, for me in the Luke verse is a SINGLE MINDED as compared to DOUBLE MINDED devotion to Jesus Christ. I suppose it's a bit easier for me than many because I've never been married and have no children accept the little girl I helped raise, but it's great because she is witnessing the single minded concept. If Christ is not totally the main focus of everything I do then I sense, I'm cheating Him and just giving Him work on my own initiative instead of His leading.
I look to these verses
John 4:34 Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to complete his work.
John 5:19 So Jesus answered them, I tell you the solemn truth, the Son can do nothing on his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.
John 5:30 I can do nothing on my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.
I have much to be thankful for Julie.
"If I must choose between righteousness and peace, I choose RIGHTEOUSNESS"." ~ Theodore Roosevelt
