{"id":11767,"date":"2013-05-11T00:01:17","date_gmt":"2013-05-11T04:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=11767"},"modified":"2013-05-10T21:53:05","modified_gmt":"2013-05-11T01:53:05","slug":"let-my-life-be-the-proof-of-his-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/11\/let-my-life-be-the-proof-of-his-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Let My Life Be the Proof&#8230;of His Love"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Proof Of Your Love: For King And Country\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oX4k4Douqgk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Let my life be the proof &#8230; <span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">the<\/span> proof of Your LOVE<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Let <span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">my<\/span> LOVE look like You and what You&#8217;re made of<\/em><br \/>\n<em>How You lived, how You died\u2014LOVE is sacrifice<\/em><br \/>\n<em>So let my life be the proof &#8230; <span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">the<\/span> proof of Your LOVE<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>Do these words echo in your heart as they do my own?\u00a0 So, may I ask you then, what <em>does<\/em> \u2018&#8230;let my life be the proof of Your LOVE&#8230;\u2019 look like?\u00a0 (I would love to know your answer!\u00a0 Please leave a note in the comment section below.)<\/p>\n<p>Here is one answer that I am sure of:<\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\">By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us,<br \/>\n<span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">and<\/span> we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.<br \/>\nLittle children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.<br \/>\n<strong>1 John 3:16 and 18<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If my life truly is the <em>proof<\/em> of His LOVE, then there is<strong> sacrifice<\/strong> as well as<strong> action<\/strong>, not simply words.<\/p>\n<p>In the Gospel of John, there is also this record of Jesus teaching His disciples about LOVE, and giving them command to follow.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When you bear much fruit, My Father is honored <i>and<\/i> glorified, and you show <i>and<\/i> <em><strong>prove<\/strong> <\/em>yourselves to be true followers of Mine. I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love.\u00a0 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My\u00a0LOVE <i>and<\/i> live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father\u2019s commandments and live on in His LOVE.\u00a0 I have told you these things, that My joy <i>and<\/i> delight may be in you, and that your joy <i>and<\/i> gladness may be of full measure <i>and<\/i> complete <i>and<\/i> overflowing.\u00a0 This is My commandment: that you\u00a0LOVE one another [just] as I have LOVED you.\u00a0 No one has greater LOVE than to lay down (<span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">give<\/span> up) his own life for his friends.\u00a0 You are My friends if you keep on doing the things which I command you to do.\u00a0 I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing.\u00a0 But I have called you My friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father&#8230;<span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">.<\/span>This is what I command you: that you LOVE\u00a0one another.&#8221;\u00a0 (<strong>chapter 13:8-15, 17<\/strong>)<\/p>\n<p>Jesus gave those who walked Him and lived with Him and saw with their very own eyes how He perfectly LOVED many, many examples of <strong>how to<\/strong> LOVE.\u00a0 They were with Him when:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He healed (<strong>Mark 3:10<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>He brought back the dead to life (<strong>Luke 7:12-15<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>He cast evil spirits out (<strong>Matthew 8:16<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>He miraculously fed thousands (<strong>Mark 6:31-44<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>He saved a sinful woman from being stoned to death (<strong>John 8:3-11<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>He touched lepers (<strong>Mark 1:40-45<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>He actually washed their own feet (<strong>John 13:5-13<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0A few of them were even there when, dying on the Cross, He asked His Father to forgive those crucifying Him (<strong>Luke 23:34<\/strong>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They were eyewitnesses and recipients of His compassion and His care and His LOVE.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus not only taught them by His example but He clearly and purposefully gave them instructions for when He was gone.<\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\">This is how everyone will know that you are My disciples,<br \/>\n<span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">if<\/span> you have\u00a0LOVE for one another.<br \/>\n<strong>John 13:35<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Simply put, LOVE\u2014in order to<strong> <i>be<\/i><\/strong> LOVE\u2014must be shown through our actions, not just through our words and how we feel.\u00a0 Our\u00a0LOVING actions ARE the <em>proof<\/em>.\u00a0 When we choose to obey God and to LOVE others in the way that He has told <span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_noSuggestion GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">us&#8230;it<\/span> is LOVE just like Jesus\u2019 love.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the best list of actions that ARE the <em>proof<\/em> that I know&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\">Love is patient,<br \/>\nLove is kind <i>and<\/i> is not jealous;<br \/>\nLove does not brag <i>and<\/i> is not arrogant,<br \/>\n<span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">does<\/span> not act unbecomingly;<br \/>\nIt does not seek its own, is not provoked,<br \/>\n<span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">does<\/span> not take into account a wrong <i>suffered<\/i>,<br \/>\n<span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">does<\/span> not rejoice in unrighteousness,<br \/>\n<span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">but<\/span> rejoices with the truth;<br \/>\n<span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">bears<\/span> all things, believes all things,<br \/>\n<span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">hopes<\/span> all things, endures all things.<br \/>\nLove never fails;<br \/>\n<strong>1 Corinthians 13:4-8<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And lastly\u2014but of vital importance\u2014is to always remember <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>who<\/em> we are<\/span> AND <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Whose<\/em> we are<\/span>!\u00a0 Jesus pointedly stated,<\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\">I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him,<br \/>\n<span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">he<\/span> it is that bears much fruit, for <b><i>apart from Me you can do nothing<\/i><\/b><i><\/i>.<br \/>\n<strong>John 15:5<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Nothing. \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(ummm, that IS what Jesus said.)\u00a0 Nothing of importance, nothing of value, nothing of eternal weight.\u00a0 But, as we abide in Him, and follow His direction and example, we can be instruments in the Master\u2019s hand.\u00a0 We can be part of His purpose and plan.\u00a0 <strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Our lives CAN be <em>the proof of His LOVE<\/em>!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u2665 \u2665 \u2665 \u2665 \u2665<\/p>\n<p>Will you pray with me, please?<\/p>\n<p>Dear Lord, how incredibly thankful we are that You did not just demand that we LOVE&#8230;You prepared our hearts. You gave us examples (oh, so <span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">many<\/span>!). You promised to help us. You gave us much instruction. You gave us the Holy Spirit to be our Helper!\u00a0 We so desire to LOVE as You LOVED, Lord!\u00a0 We so yearn to be Your hands and feet!\u00a0 We so want to help to draw others to You, as we have been drawn!\u00a0 Please help us to be humble, recognizing our immense need for Your help!\u00a0 By God\u2019s grace and mercy, may we bring glory to our Father as we live <em><strong>lives that <span style=\"color: #800080;\">ARE the proof of Your LOVE!\u00a0<\/span><\/strong> <\/em>Thank You, Lord&#8230;we pray and ask these things in Your name, amen!<\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><strong>Let all that you do be done in LOVE.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><strong>1 Corinthians 16:14<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Praying for each of you!<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\">\u2665<\/span>\u00a0 <span class=\"GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct\">coleen<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let my life be the proof &#8230; the proof of Your LOVE Let my LOVE look like You and what You&#8217;re made of How You lived, how You died\u2014LOVE is sacrifice So let my life be the proof &#8230; the proof of Your LOVE Do these words echo in your heart as they do my [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":11798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[2461,2462,2448,2453,235,249,1287,425,554,2449,2460,2452,2450,1459,2458,2447,620,2451,2323,2455,2459,2454,2457,2456],"class_list":["post-11767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-womens","tag-1-corinthians-134-8","tag-1-corinthians-1614","tag-1-john-316-18","tag-2453","tag-coleen-hayden","tag-compassion","tag-gch","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-jesus","tag-john-1335","tag-john-135-13","tag-john-138-15","tag-john-138-17","tag-john-155","tag-john-83-11","tag-let-my-life-be-the-proof-of-your-love","tag-love","tag-love-requires-action","tag-luke-2334","tag-luke-712015","tag-mark-140-45","tag-mark-310","tag-mark-631-44","tag-matthew-816","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/04.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-33N","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11767"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11775,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11767\/revisions\/11775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}