Good Morning Great Steemians, it's your steemit babygirl @steemcenturion and i have a stunning question for you all today, Read, enjoy, ruminate and answer from the depth of your heart.

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Have you ever been surprised to hear a popular actor, politician, musician or other celebrities claim Christianity as their religion? Such statements are usually surprising and jaw-dropping. Some of us even go to the extent of refuting those claims publicly. Why? because the lives of such persons don’t match their claims. Not being judgmental here though, but the bible says unequivocally that by their fruits we shall know them.
Love is one of the greatest commands of the bible. Love must motivate a believer’s every thought, speech and action. The big question is, ‘Do you really love? Or does it end at just voicing it. Some of us attach fake emotions when we say it to our brothers or sisters in the fold. We are going to explore together, the biblical way to love and we trust that by the end, our eyes of understanding will be illuminated and fresh power to love in the right way will be endued upon us.

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Key verses: 1 John 4:7-21

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him].
8 He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.
9 In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique [Son], into the world so 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 (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another.
12 No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!
13 By this we come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we abide (live and remain) in Him and He in us: because He has given (imparted) to us of His [Holy] Spirit.
14 And [besides] we ourselves have seen (have deliberately and steadfastly contemplated) and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son [as the] Savior of the world.
15 Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God.
16 And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.
17 In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection].
19 We love Him, because He first loved us.
20 If anyone says, I love God, and hates (detests, abominates) his brother [in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen.
21 And this command (charge, order, injunction) we have from Him: that he who loves God shall love his brother [believer] also.

He loved you FIRST!

John in the seventh verse of the forth chapter of his book began an in-depth explanation of the type of love that God wants from us. He took our minds back to the salvation story. How God manifested his love for US by giving up His son to die on a cross (1 John 4:7-10) not because we were deserving of such outpour of love but because of his mercy. What a supreme example! Who does that in our world today? We can’t even give up our lunch to another person not to talk of giving life to rescue the person.
John made a striking statement in verse 12. It reads thus:

12 No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!

 This means that for you and I to claim that we have a relationship with God, we must live a life of love because ‘love’ is the foundation of such lifestyle. We should also note that since love gives visible expression of God in our lives, then nothing we attempt for God will succeed without LOVE.

Abide in God’s love
From verse 13, John went ahead to show us that all three members of the trinity are active in the life of a believer who exudes love.

God has sent our helper, the Holy Spirit to remind us constantly of our relationship with Him which is based on his gift of his only begotten Son as our Saviour.

I have had several experiences in life, times where my thoughts, speech and actions affected my relationship with God, but whenever I stop to have a rethink and acknowledge God’s constant presence in my life, I make a drastic turn, away from those sins that cling so closely, that easily beset me and drag me back to my past.

John also talked about God’s love expelling those fears that come to steal our joy, threaten our hearts, steal our peace and divert us from God’s good plans. We experience them today. Oh yes! We do!! Sometimes fears of what the future holds for us make us to opt for other ways to succeed instead of relying on God’s love.
Walk in Love!

Did you notice the exclamation mark I added to the sub-heading above? I did that because it’s a command. God commanded us to Love.

The bible says “And this command (charge, order, injunction) we have from Him: that he who loves God shall love his brother [believer] also.”
It’s not arguable or questionable. Walk in love! How should we walk?

1. Love God
2. Love others

Beloved, I can assure you that none of us in our own strength can fully love others and avoid hatred or resentment. It’s totally difficult and impracticable. But as we mature in our faith; constantly praying, reading and meditating on the word of God (which is our guide and compass), and as our obedience to God becomes more complete, our love for others will grow as well.
Collossians 2:9-10

9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. (NKJV)

2 Corinthians 10:6

6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. (NIV)

Remember Father Abraham and his nephew Lot when their herdsmen were having quarrels amongst each other? Abraham our faith-filled Patriarch showed us an example when he allowed Lot to chose a portion of the land before him. Was it because Lot was older than him or had the right to do so? No! It’s because Abraham understood this principle of loving God and putting others first. His obedience was complete.
Gen 13:8-12

8 So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left." 10 Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. (NIV)

Beloved, you should know how the story ended. Did God bless Abraham’s obedience? Genesis 13:14 answers that. It reads:
Gen 13:14-17

14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." (NIV)

Just because he (Abraham) obeyed God’s command to love, he received the blessings in the scripture above, he became the man who the bible says “we are his children”.
How many of us are ready to love properly?
How many of us are ready to position ourselves to be recipients of God’s blessings and favour by simply obeying his command to love?
If you are willing and ready, God promises that we will eat the good of the land.
Isa 1:19

19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. (AMP)

So, next time you get the opportunity:

1. Let that person that who offended you, who treated you unjustly, and who mocked your faith, be the object of your love through kind words, a moment of prayer and a commitment to remember that person for good.
2. Let that neigbour who barely affords 2 square meals be in your monthly budget.
3. Let that lady/gentleman in your workplace feel the agape love you profess not just when you use the word “I love you”.
4. Make meaningful contributions in church towards helping missionaries and the less privileged.
5. Pray for someone who you noticed needs help and the touch of God.
   Then the God who sees in secret will reward you.

Its your steemit babaygirl @steemcenturion , and am leaving you with this verse of assurance to ponder upon.
Matt 6:4

4 So that your deeds of charity may be in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you openly. (AMP)