Praying for Abounding Love

Philippians 1:3-11

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,

5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,

6 being confident of this very thing,

 that He who has begun a good work in you

will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all,

 because I have you in my heart,

inasmuch as both in my chains

and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel,

 you all are partakers with me of grace.

8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all

with the affection of Jesus Christ.

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more

in knowledge and all discernment,

10 that you may approve the things that are excellent,

that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,

11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness

which are by Jesus Christ,

to the glory and praise of God.

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The Great Commandment

Mark 12:28-31

Then one of the scribes came,

and having heard them reasoning together,

perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him,

"Which is the first commandment of all?"

29 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:

'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 

30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart,

with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'

This is the first commandment.  

31 And the second, like it, is this:

'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

There is no other commandment greater than these." 

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Matthew 22:35-40

35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,

36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"

37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God

with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  

38 This is the first and great commandment. 

39 And the second is like it:

'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  

40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." 

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Romans 13:8-10

Owe no one anything except to love one another,

for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery,"

"You shall not murder,"

"You shall not steal,"

"You shall not bear false witness,"

"You shall not covet,"

and if there is any other commandment,

are all summed up in this saying,

 namely,

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  

10 Love does no harm to a neighbor;

therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

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Jesus' New Commandment

John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give to you,

that you love one another; as I have loved you,

that you also love one another. 

35 By this all will know that you are My disciples,

if you have love for one another." 

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1 Peter 4:7-8

But the end of all things is at hand;

therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

8 And above all things have fervent love for one another,

for "love will cover a multitude of sins."  

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Colossians 3:12-14

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,

 put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another,

if anyone has a complaint against another;

even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 

14 But above all these things put on love,

which is the bond of perfection.

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How can we love this way?

Philippians 2:5-8

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, being in the form of God,

did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

7 but made Himself of no reputation,

taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself

and became obedient to the point of death,

even the death of the cross.

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We must have the same mind of Christ in us.

Romans 5:5

5 Now hope does not disappoint,

because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts

by the Holy Spirit

who was given to us.

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Galatians 5:22

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love,...

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1 John 3:14-16

14 We know that we have passed from death to life,

because we love the brethren.

He who does not love his brother abides in death.

15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer,

and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

16 By this we know love,

because He laid down His life for us.

And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

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John 3:16

16 For God so loved the world

that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him should not perish

but have everlasting life. 

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Romans 5:8

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us,

in that while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.

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1 John 4:7-19

 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God;

and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

8 He who does not love does not know God,

for God is love.

9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us,

that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world,

that we might live through Him.

10 In this is love, not that we loved God,

but that He loved us

and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us,

we also ought to love one another.

12 No one has seen God at any time.

If we love one another,

God abides in us,

and His love has been perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in Him,

and He in us,

because He has given us of His Spirit. (Spirit's fruit)

14 And we have seen and testify that

the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God,

God abides in him,

 and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed

the love that God has for us.

God is love,

and he who abides in love

abides in God,

and God in him.

17 Love has been perfected among us in this:

that we may have boldness in the day of judgment;

 because as He is,

so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love;

but perfect love casts out fear,

because fear involves torment.

But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

19 We love Him because He first loved us.

John 15:9-14

 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you;

abide in My love. 

10 If you keep My commandments,

you will abide in My love,

 just as I have kept My Father's commandments

and abide in His love. 

11 "These things I have spoken to you,

that My joy may remain in you,

and that your joy may be full. 

12 This is My commandment,

that you love one another as I have loved you. 

13 Greater love has no one than this,

than to lay down one's life for his friends. 

14 You are My friends

if you do whatever I command you.

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What is Love?

1 Corinthians 13

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,

but have not love,

I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy,

and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,

and though I have all faith,

so that I could remove mountains,

but

have not love, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,

and though I give my body to be burned,

but have not love,

it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind;

love does not envy;

love does not parade itself,

is not puffed up;

5 does not behave rudely,

does not seek its own, i

is not provoked,

thinks no evil;

6 does not rejoice in iniquity,

but rejoices in the truth;

7 bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things

endures all things.

8 Love never fails.

 But whether there are prophecies,

they will fail;

whether there are tongues,

they will cease;

whether there is knowledge,

it will vanish away.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect has come,

then that which is in part will be done away.

11 When I was a child,

I spoke as a child,

I understood as a child,

I thought as a child;

but when I became a man,

I put away childish things.

12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly,

but then face to face.

Now I know in part,

but then I shall know just as I also am known.

13 And now abide

faith, hope, love, these three;

but

the greatest of these is love.

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