![Agape Love Rakhmah.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXJ6PyRkXWfznpqnzgvs61YN9av45Ud8pTdkc3k3PSw4V/Agape%20Love%20Rakhmah.png)

I am 36 years old man who grew up in an agnostic home, with no sense of who God was, or even any concern or conversation touching on the concept of diety. Fast forward 33 years and following an invitation to Church on sunday in March 2014, I met God. 

That day I had a meaningful and eternally beautiful recognition of what Love could be; I learned that day about Agape Love. 

Agape: 
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Agape (Ancient Greek ἀγάπη, agápē) is a Greco-Christian term referring to love, "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for man and of man for God".[1]
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agape

![agape love 2.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQAcN9VBpBZVSFYppR1ouDm57EV7A6nEKKoiMDpeP3oDM/agape%20love%202.png)

Agape is a Greek word which refers to a love of convenant commitment. Love as a choice, not love as a feeling. This is not "I fell in love with her when...", this is I "love" her despite the pain and difficulty we have walked through. 

The Love of Jesus:
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My pastor told me about this love and how God, in Jesus, loved the world and me personally while we still kicked against Him, not because we deserved His love, had earned it, or were worthy of being loved, but because He is Love: Agape. 

This love is offered to a friend and an enemy, it is not limited by the object's performance or response. It doesn't matter if they love you back, Agape is poured out despite what the response may be. I pray you feel this love, and offer it blindly to all around. What a beautiful world it would be...

![Love God as neighbor.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNRZpLqnQDF91XgSZ9WZFz8C85UkCyrpSyG3M74FcrNiE/Love%20God%20as%20neighbor.png)

Jesus taught this love with his words and actions, he spoke this lesson in Matthew 12:28-31:

*The Great Commandment:*
*28And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”*

Love God and Neigbors with ALL your Heart:
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![Love god and neighbor.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNkKy2vS5DH3daBZX4Qa29W23r2UMjTrW77Gbxz6tzXoy/Love%20god%20and%20neighbor.png)

Actions Speak Louder that Words:
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But also Jesus didn't just speak these lessons, He lived them. He washed the feet of his disciples, he clothed and fed the needy, he walked with and minstered to the destitute, blind, poor, cast-aways. And the claim of the Bible is that Jesus is God, and if that is true, then He left perfect union with the God the Father, stepping down from his throne in Heaven to rescue His people, to save me. 

If you believe this, I hope you are reminded today of the GREAT JOY this brought you the day you first believed. If you do not believe Jesus claim to diety, I pray that you would explore this teaching of Agape Love. Do you offer this love? Do you know this love?

![Do to others....png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRqPHuTxtkahA4VcATm4UgRmR2XNUTcXy5kcaa5u6ganX/Do%20to%20others....png)

I looked at my wife and asked myself, would I love her if... And the answer was no. Meaning, there were stipulations to my continued love, demands I held over her. That is not sacrificial, that is not deep or meaningful vulnerable love. The love I held for my wife before that day was limited, and I was intentionally holding something back, to prepare for some future harm she MIGHT commit. That is not love. That is not the love I want to offer her. That is not AGAPE. 

Today I heard a 4 minute sermon on the biblical concept of Agape and it reminded me of that day I met the Lord and felt his covenantal love for the first time, so I decided to share that short video. 



The Bible Project:
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![the Bible Project.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmaJoo6a6Y9Mk4TndfPjQkHPv54rgp2UezFyRFeBKA3R4v/the%20Bible%20Project.png)

The Bible Project is an amazing program of believers who examine the Bible closely to "show how the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus". 

I am a huge fan of their work, and you can follow along with them like me on YouTube [here](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVfwlh9XpX2Y_tQfjeln9QA). 

If you are a follower of Jesus there is no replacement for personal time reading and reflecting over scripture, but nevertheless content creators like this do a great deal to broaden ones understanding of what can be some complex issues. 

The Bible Project: Agape Love:
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https://youtu.be/slyevQ1LW7A

All the images and the video were created by The Bible Project, if you enjoy the content consider following them on Youtube, or donating to support their continued content creation. 
-https://thebibleproject.com/