The outgoing concern toward other beings begins with God the Father to Christ to us. How much we love our brethren may be a good gauge of how much we love God.

I John 4:17 reveals the depth of love God the Father has for us as unique, special components of His creation, loving each of us as much as He loved Christ.

God does not love everybody equally. Nowhere does He tell us to prefer the ungodly world. Though He tells us to love our enemies, but not to be affectionate.

We are royalty, part of the highest Family in all creation. We can take great comfort in knowing who it is we really are and that the Father greatly values us.

Despite the privileged position of our calling, God does not cut us any slack in terms of trials and tests to perfect us. We must accept God's sovereignty.

The force of the preposition 'in' reveals that the Father loves us to the same degree that He loves Jesus Christ. We must reciprocate their love.

A Bible study on love, one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

God has a very real concern for us, promising to never leave us. We have to strongly believe in His faithfulness to build a relationship with Him.

Love doesn't become 'love' until we act. If we don't do what is right, the right feeling will never be formed; emotions are largely developed by our experiences.

If we love another person, we like to think about him/her, to hear about him/her, please him/her, and we are jealous about his/her reputation and honor.

Love is the first fruit of the Spirit, the one trait of God that exemplifies His character. The Bible defines love as both what it is and what it does.

The opposite of selfishness is not self-hatred, but mature self-love, loving ourselves as a responsible, caring parent would (or should) love a growing child.

There is a direct relationship between loving Christ and doing the right works. God's love for us places us under a compelling obligation to reciprocate.

Even though the way God exercises His sovereignty is inscrutable to us , calling the foolish to confound the wise, all He does fits perfectly into His plan.

The unity Jesus appeals for with His disciples is not organizational unity, but unity within the divine nature, exampled in the unity between He and the Father.

It can be encouraging to us that our patriarchs and the prophets had serious doubts, but God overrode all their fears in accomplishing His purpose.

Participation in Christ's life is the source of all good. Regardless of what church group we are in, we must establish a relationship with Christ.

Love is not a feeling, but an action—defined as keeping God's commandments, the only means by which we can possibly know Him, leading to eternal life.

To dramatize the perennial harlotry of Israel and the incredible love God exhibits toward His people, He commands Hosea to marry a harlot, Gomer.

One aspect of sovereignty that causes some confusion is predestination. God's sovereignty does not remove a person's free moral agency — we must still choose.

To be like God, we need to work on purifying ourselves, purging out sin and uncleanness, reflecting our relationship with God in every aspect our behavior.

God's saints, as both kings and priests, will both teach God's law as well as maintain civic governmental functions, needing to exercise patience.

We have a special calling as the firstfruits, ultimately becoming God's very offspring, patterning and conforming our lives after Jesus Christ.

If God is sovereign and promises salvation to believers, why does it matter how believers live? How significant are our choices in the grand scheme of life?

God established permanent patterns, electing Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as all of those He has called. This election should be our obsession.

Because we are all sinners, we have earned only death; justification is not earned, but must come through faith and believing God as did our father Abraham.

If we are not receiving God's correction or chastisement, we should be concerned! God's chastening is what He uses to sanctify His spiritual children.

Our spiritual development is like the creation of a pearl. Just as the oyster coats an irritant with a mother of pearl, we begin as an irritant in God's creation.

Americans have a hard time submitting to authority and like to consider themselves as sovereigns, having the last say over anything including church doctrine.

God has exercised patience, longsuffering, and forbearance, but He cannot acquit the unrepentant sinner.

No one has any excuse for doubting God's purpose for mankind, whether revealed publicly through His Creation or privately through the Holy Scriptures.

God has singled each one of us out individually, calling us, gifting us with capabilities, and preparing us for eternal life as members of His family.

Paul emphasized the power of God living in us through the Holy Spirit to enable us to develop into His family. Through God's power, we will triumph over death.

To fulfill one's purpose, one must be singularly focused on what one wants to accomplish. Divided minds result in no productivity or even devastation.

During these times of intense distress and tribulation, God expects that we use our memories to reflect upon His gifts, promises, and rewards.

Without the gift of God's Holy Spirit, it is impossible to understand the kind of love which Christ commanded of His disciples.

God has provided the God-plane marriage relationship to teach us how to submit to one another, sacrificing our self-centeredness for the benefit of our spouse.

Like with Joseph, trials and troubles have been preplanned by God to shape us into members of His family, predestined to be sanctified and glorified.

How different would our lives be if God had not called us? God's intervention in our lives improved their quality exponentially, and we must respond in kind.

Life seems to be one trial after another. However, God has revealed an astounding facet of God's love that should give us the faith to soldier on.

We must learn to seek God's will and purpose for us, avoiding the temptation of Hezekiah who feared death more than trusting God to decide his expiration date.

While it is common on Facebook to defriend/unfriend, Christ's love for His people is a friending with the condition that godly fruit is produced.

God's people are the precious jewels (or the private, personal possessions) of God, obligated to conform exclusively to His will and purpose.

The yoke grievous to bear (Acts 15:10) was not God's law, but an entire package of Pharisaic regulations that had been elevated to the level of God's law.

The valley-of-shadow imagery symbolizes the fears, trials, and tests needed to produce character, quality fruit, and an intimate trust in the shepherd.

When the U.S. Congress wanted to put 'In God we Trust' on currency, the Seventh Day Adventists objected, arguing that the U.S. has never been a Christian nation.

Contrary to the belief that most of the Christian professing world hold that we are saved by the death of Jesus Christ, in reality we are saved by His life.

Paul wrote some of his most optimistic letters from prison, under the possibility of execution, but absolutely convinced that ultimate victory was imminent.

When corporations get rid of their core business, they become less effective. Likewise when we deviate from our core job, we risk returning to the world.

God's children look no different on the outside, but God has given them something inside, something spiritual, that makes them special to Him.

We will not be prepared to rule in the Millennium unless we are experientially persuaded of God's faithfulness to His Covenant and His intolerance of evil.

Our children internalize our values; we teach largely by example. If we do not take seriously the responsibility for rearing our children, somebody else will.