“God loves us more than a father, mother, friend, or any else could love, and even more than we are able to love ourselves…We need to understand as human beings that our personal value and the value of our so-called accomplishments is first and foremost rooted in God’s love for us.” (St. John Chrysostom, Father David L. Fontes, PsyD)
“The challenge then is to take our sense of Godliness and transfer it over to every encounter with every person we meet today, to see God in them, and to love them in the way we love God, the way God loves us.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis)
“Love needs to be sincere. And only the love of God is sincere love. To a person whom we find tiresome and troublesome, love needs to be offered in a subtle manner without the person being aware that we are striving to love him. It shouldn’t be given much outward expression, because then the person will react. Silence saves us from all evils.” (St. Porphyrios the Kapsokalivite)
“...there are certainly times when people need to be corrected for their own good. When these occasions arise, we must make sure the correction is given in the spirit of love, so the delivery does not get in the way of the message. Priests, parents, bosses, and sometimes even friends may be called upon to offer such counsel, but the spirit of love must always remain central to the message…If we truly wish to help someone, we offer good and kind thoughts, speak with words of love and encouragement, and pray for her. We are not doing her a favor by serving as her self-appointed therapist. Words of encouragement are far more likely to help the person than negative and critical feedback.” (Abbot Tryphon)
“Let Christ’s love motivate you to love other Christians and to express that love in your actions toward them.” (Life Application Study Bible, Philippians 1:7-8)
“The farther Christians remove themselves from the spirit of their faith, the more they become divided by self-love; the more they are absorbed in themselves, the lesser community they have in spiritual and material blessings.” (St. John of Krondstat)
“The path of forgiveness, of love towards those who hate us, of unrequited generosity and thanksgiving for all things, represents a decision to step away from the protected life of the guarded self. It accepts injustice towards the self, the loss of what is rightfully due, and giving what is not deserved or merited. None of this would be possible to us apart from the example of Christ and our mystical union with Him.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
"I remember Christian teachers telling me long ago that I must hate a bad man's actions but not hate the bad man: or, as they would say, hate the sin but not the sinner. ...I used to think this a silly, straw-splitting distinction: how could you hate what a man did and not hate the man? But years later it occurred to me that there was one man to whom I had been doing this all my life -- namely myself. However much I might dislike my own cowardice or conceit or greed, I went on loving myself. There had never been the slightest difficulty about it. In fact the very reason why I hated the things was that I loved the man. Just because I loved myself, I was sorry to find that I was the sort of man who did those things." (C. S. Lewis)
“Only through the power of the Holy Spirit and the accompanying acquisition of a humble and contrite heart does love gain the upper hand, and we are victorious in our struggle against selfwill.” (Abbot Tryphon)
“If anyone could see his own vices accurately without the veil of self-love, he would worry about nothing else in life…Love consumes us only in the measure of our self-surrender.” (St. John Climacus, St. Therese of Lisieux)
“The great condescension of the Son of God in becoming a man serves eternally as a perfect model of humility and self-giving love." (Foundation Study Bible, Isaiah 9:7)
“As we grow in our relationship with God, we should experience a revolutionary change in our attitudes toward people… The more we love people, the more our differences disappear.” (Bill Hybels, Metropolitan Joseph)
“Because every human person is impressed with the Divine Image, this is the fundamental reason for the dignity of every human person…When people respond in love to each other, they cover over the sins or offenses that would otherwise come between them.” (Deacon and Fellow Pilgrim, Foundation Study Bible, Proverbs 10:12)
"By learning to recognize the Divine Presence within ourselves, we also learned to recognize the Divine Presence within others and recognize our unity within the Body of Christ." (Deacon and Fellow Pilgrim)
“Times like ours call for us to become spiritually fit so we can be beacons of light among those who have lost all hope. The challenges we all face are not for the faint of heart. The spiritually fit can triumph over anything, and we must continue to encourage this new generation of young people to be prepared for whatever may be coming. Those who have developed a strong faith must be willing to share their faith-based strength with those who are on the edge.” (Abbot Tryphon)
“St. Paul notes that “faith works through love” (Gal. 5:6). This describes the very heart of the ascetic life. Only love extends itself in the self-emptying struggle against the passions without becoming lost in the solipsism of asceticism for its own sake. It is love that endures the contradictions of reality without turning away or reducing them. And it is love that finally comprehends the reality hidden within the contradictions that confront us.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“If we are not willing to endure hardship for God and neighbor, if we refuse to practice asceticism, we will always be too weak and selfish to practice perfect and selfless love. True love and compassion mean self-denial.” (Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou)
“Love comes from God (1 John 4:7). We’re not very good at this kind of loving, and the only way we can be is through the empowering work of the Holy Spirit.” (Foundation Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
“If you find that there is no love in you, but you want to have it, then do deeds of love, even though you do them without love in the beginning. The Lord will see your desire and striving and will put love in your heart." (St. Ambrose of Optina)
“The ultimate goal of Christ's prayer, and indeed of life itself, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person.” (Orthodox Study Bible, John 17:26)
“Generalities exist only in our minds. We do not experience the “love of man.” We can only love this man, or that woman. Because human beings and their lives are utterly unique, the greater the distance we place between ourselves and those of whom we treat, the less accurate we are.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“An exaggerated fear is equipped with binoculars; it tends to magnify dangers that are a great distance away, making small threats appear large." (H. Norman Wright)
“Pray that God will bless you with patience and wisdom to help you negotiate your way through the many toxic, potentially destructive thoughts and feelings you will encounter. The truth is, disappointment, regrets, resentment, anger, and feelings and thoughts of betrayal are all part of the territory, and they can create emotional distance…” (Rev. Fr. Charles Joanides, Ph.D., LMFT)
“Saint Paul’s words challenge us to consider our relationships within the church communities of which we are members. We are to conduct ourselves in a loving manner toward all (1 Corinthians 16:14)…we are to extend love to “all in Christ Jesus” (vs. 24). Indeed, we should feel challenged by these words, for we are all too familiar with how polite distance, cliques, diffidence, or formalism often divide us.” (Dynamis 8/30/2015)
“People who have the same goal, and who strive towards the ‘one thing needful’, have oneness of soul; and they never feel the distance of separation. And no matter how great that distance is, it can never be the cause of hindrance to that spiritual closeness uniting these people in oneness of soul." (St. John Maximovitch)
“What you say and what you don’t say are both important….We dare not be careless with what we say, thinking it can be apologize later, because even if we do, the scars remain. A few words spoken in anger can destroy a relationship that took years to build. Before you speak, remember that words are like fire – you can neither control nor reverse the damage they do.” (Life Application Study Bible, James 3:2,3,6)
“The root of the verb learn is mathete, which also forms the noun disciple. It implies training in what is good through practice, reflection, correction, with much repetition so that the good developed within manifest in loving actions and healing relationships.” (Dynamis 1/5/13)
“…love your enemies, bless those who curse tou, and do good to those that hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you...” (Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:44-45)
“We must try to feel about the enemy as we feel about ourselves—to wish that he were not bad, to hope that he may, in this world or another, be cured: in fact, to wish his good. That is what is meant in the Bible by loving him: wishing his good, not feeling fond of him nor saying he is nice when he is not.” (C.S. Lewis)
“…if we are ever tempted to think poorly about someone, or worse yet, act poorly toward someone, because of their race, economic bracket, looks or characteristics, we should correct our thinking and always try to remember when we look at someone that God loves them as much as He loves us. Love doesn’t mean we have to like everyone. But it does means we should treat everyone with dignity and respect and do our best in whatever encounter we have with them to be mindful and solicitous of their well-being.” (Sacramental Living)
“We must trust the Holy Spirit to help us show love to those for whom we not feel love.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 5:43, 44)
“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” (Luke 6:31)
“Broken relationships hinder our relationship with God…We are hypocrites if we claim to love God while we hate others. Our attitudes toward others reflect our relationship with God.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 5:23.24)
“God created us out of love, gave us free will out of love, and redeemed us through Christ, God in the flesh, out of love. The rest is up to us. We can accept His love in our hearts and grow Christ-like as demonstrated by our faith and actions toward others or we can reject it. God does not force us to love Him or force us to do anything. He loves us too much for that.” (Sacramental Living)
“I think perhaps the best way to even comprehend but a little of God’s love is to understand that He is complete within Himself and has absolutely no need to create us or anything else except that He did so simply out of love. He wishes to give us life and free will. He wishes for us to exist and have joy.” (Sacramental Living)
“We were created in love by God and for God. God reveals this to us at the beginning of the Bible in Genesis when He creates Eve so Adam would have both an equal and a helper as the Scripture states. Even with God by his side in paradise with the animals and nature, Adam felt alone without other human beings. God then created Eve. All humans came from the union of man and woman and depend on that relationship. God created all of us to both help each other and receive help in this life.” (Sacramental Living)
“…we must be careful not to spurn those who reach out to us…Suffering silently is neither Christian not particularly healthy. Instead, accept graciously the support and help from family and friends.” (Life Application Study Bible, Psalm 102:6,7)
“’Sincere love’ involves selfless giving; a self-centered person can’t truly love. God’s love and forgiveness free you to take your eyes off yourselves and meet others’ needs.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Peter 1:22)
“It will not bother me in the hour of death to reflect that I have been"had for a sucker” by any number of impostors: but it would be a torment to know that one had refused even one person in need” (C.S. Lewis)
“For many of us the great obstacle to charity lies not in our luxurious living or desire for more money, but in our fear—fear of insecurity. This must often be recognized as a temptation. Sometimes our pride also hinders our charity; we are tempted to spend more than we ought on the showy forms of generosity (tipping, hospitality) and less than we ought on those who really need our help.” (C.S. Lewis)
“Let your pride become humility and your insensitivity give way to genuine affection for others.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Peter 3:8, 9)
“Too often we rush through our days, barely touching anyone’s life…we should take the time to weave our lives into others’ through close personal relationships.” (Life Application Study Bible, 2 Timothy 4:19-22)
“Our thoughts and actions must be motivated by love and we must be careful about judging others.” (Life Application Study Bible, Mark 9:42)
“We should never do anything for self-aggrandizement or worldly recognition but only for the honor we have from God. This is not easy for us. We do not want our brave deeds to go unnoticed. We want valor with renown, not without. But rather than give into this desire, we should toil silently without calling attention to ourselves.” (Anne Marie Gazzolo)
“Goodness, which is motivated by love, is the ability to step outside oneself, to have a vision of what will benefit the world to come, and to seek after it without any thought of the self.” (Linda Greenwood)
“Let us never underestimate the power of simply being with the ones we love in time of terrible trial and the comfort our presence gives them.” (Anne Marie Gazzolo)
“To love others is an act of faith, especially to love them as God loves – sacrificially.” (Dynamis 11/5/2012)
“…faith expresses itself through love…” (Life Application Study Bible, Galatians 5:6)
“We get the sense that God does not want merely more individuals of the human species; he also wants the world to be filled with a human society. He could have just spoken the word and created millions of people in thousands of human settlements, but he didn’t. He made it our job to develop and build this society.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)
“The Lord calls us to humble ourselves, to love one another, and to forgive as we are forgiven. Quarreling, resentment and discord are contrary to commitment in Christ.” (Dynamis 11/16/2012)
“….comfort each other.” Behind much of the anger in the Church and the world is great fear and pain. Rather than fight, let us assuage fear by bringing comfort to others. (Dynamis 11/16/2012)
“One of the best ways to stifle Christ’s love is to be friendly with only those people what we are like.” (Life Application Study Bible, Ephesians 2:14-22)
“The light of God shining through one human being who knows the Lord spreads to another and another and another. Christ the Light of the world enables those He enlightens to worship, praise and give thanks. They are renewed and they renew many more.” (Dynamis 11/17)
“It does on good to see the fine side of people we’ve always seen the worst of.” (C.S. Lewis)
“Those who live for themselves display these common attitudes: (1) Materialism – I want it and work hard to get it. All that I see is real. Unseen things are merely ideas and dreams. (2) Individualism – I work hard for me and you work hard for you. I may make it; you may not. That’s your problem, not mine. (3) Skepticism – Anything I’m not convinced about can’t be important. Everything important to know I can figure out.” (Life Application Study Bible, Luke 17:33)
“The DNA of self-centeredness and competitive pride are at work deep in each of us…no one can live entirely out of the pure impulse to serve the interests of other people at all times. Even the most loving, morally beautiful people fall prey to motives of self-interest, fear, and glory seeking.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)
“We would not have a happy life if we spent it entirely on ourselves. Instead, God places us in this time and place to succor particular people. Such service is the path He has prepared for us all, and we must walk upon it as faithfully as possible.” (Anne Marie Gazzolo)
“…we must consider the needs of others and not just our own…when you act selflessly, others are encouraged to follow your example.” (Life Application Study Bible, Ruth 1:8,9)
“The Kingdom of God spreads through believers concern and eagerness to help others.” (Life Application Study Bible, 2 Corinthians 8:3-6)
“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being.” (Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe)
“I am often, I believe, praying for others when I should be doing things for them. It’s so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see him.” (C.S. Lewis)
“Never forget people are not categories nor are they only a few views they support – they are persons. Being a person means you have many dimensions to yourself not just your political views. Think of an experience you may have had when you disliked people based on a view they were vocal about but then as you got to know them you found you liked them or at least understood better their view because you got to know them personally.” (Sacramental Living)
“When you are not feeling particularly friendly but know you ought to be, the best thing you can do, very often, is to put on a friendly manner and behave as if you were a nicer person than you actually are. And in a few minutes, as we have all noticed, you will be really feeling friendlier than you were." (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)
“My experience has been that it is enough of a daily struggle to wrestle with my own doubts and wrong inclinations that creep into my thought and to try to be like Christ to everyone I encounter.” (Sacramental Living)
“…we believe we should be engaged and should transform the world through good deeds that are a natural outgrowth of our faith…These deeds of love and kindness, whether great in the eyes of the world or unnoticed, are all important to God and represent each one of us doing our part.” (Sacramental Living)
“He [God] is concerned with every aspect of life – the physical as well as the spiritual. As we work to bring wholeness to people’s lives, we must never ignore the fact that all of us have both physical and spiritual needs. It is impossible to minister effectively to one type of need without considering the other.” (Life Application Study Bible, Luke 9:13-14)
“Our care for others is the measure of our greatness.” (Life Application Study Bible, Luke 9:48)
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)
“Many people – even Christians – live only to make a good impression on others or to please themselves…When working together, caring for the problems of others as if they were our problems, we demonstrate Christ’s example of putting others first (and His true example of humility), and we experience unity…We are to lay aside selfishness and treat others with respect and common courtesy.” (Life Application Study Bible, Philippians 2:1-5)
"Unity does not mean uniformity… If we look around and see all of the variety of plants, animals and people, it seems clear that God must delight in variety …We are all the same in essence but unique in our persons. We too should live in unity made up of our diversity and in a loving state where we care for one another in the spirit of community.” (Sacramental Living)
“Speak the truth in love. This sounds simples but it seems so hard for us to do. Some of us are fairly good at speaking the truth, but we forget to be loving. Some of us are good at being loving, but we don’t have it in us to level with others if the truth is painful…Speak the truth but do it in a loving manner.” (Life Application Study Bible, Ephesians 4:15)
“Think of the numerous ways to speak the truth: in detachment, bluntly, punishingly, with a superior attitude, or with a love rising from personal experience and thanksgiving… with full personal involvement and concern for others’ illumination and well-being” (Dynamis 9/27)"There is no motive in love except complete desire for the well-being of another…” (Sacramental Living)
“… it [love] does means we should treat everyone with dignity and respect and do our best in whatever encounter we have with them to be mindful and solicitous of their well-being.” (Sacramental Living)
“We are called to caring; we are not to limit ourselves just to the financial giving of philanthropies, charitable donations, and other altruism. We are to extend charity into all our relationships and into every encounter with others.” (Dynamis 9/22/2012)
“Many people associate charity with the false idea that leading a saintly life requires certain types of sacrifice and giving in order to care for others, or perhaps even a complete alteration of one’s manner of life…Not at all. It is necessary only to do...those things which present themselves to everyone in the circumstances of life… It is for the good of our spouse, our children, our neighbors, the checker at the market, or the receptionist at a front desk that we are to extend care; it is in many, little contacts.” (Dynamis 9/22/2012)
“It is easy to say we love God when that love doesn’t cost us anything more than weekly attendance at religious services. But the real test of our love for God is how we treat people right in front of us…” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 John 4:20, 21))
“Love is a movement out of narcissism. The true opposite for of love is not hate but egocentrism, for hate can be rechanneled back into love, but egocentrism prevents us from ever moving out of ourselves to each other. Love is extinguished more quickly by apathy and indifference than it is by either jealously or wrath.’ (Professor Louis Markos)
"If we seek to live the gospel, we must love more than just our family and friends…” (Ed Strauss)
“If the good of our family, not God, is our highest ideal, we may think ourselves as being loving and doing right because we are taking care of our own properly, but this is not enough. If our family, and not God, is our center, we will tend to care less for other families.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)
"[The commandment]…’you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself’ must be understood more clearly as ‘you shall love your neighbor as being yourself’. How much we love ourselves is not the standard by which Christ is calling us to love others. Rather, we are called to love our neighbor as being of the same nature as we ourselves are…we find our true self in loving our neighbor.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 22:39)
“You cannot truly love if you think only of yourself.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 24:12)
“Think of yourself by yourself on a desert island for the rest of your life. How much love could you express with no one else to love? Not much because self-love is not love.…love is a way of being not an emotion. It is a genuine concern for another’s welfare…Some people express how sorry they feel for people who are poor and hungry but also never give any of their money or time to help. Thoughts and feelings that do not translate into actions reduce love to emotion or sentiment.” (Sacramental Living)
“Personal contact with God’s people always is a challenge...We have to maintain love for others…Personal relationships require considering others' needs, problems, moods, and lifeconcerns. In order to love, we are forced to step outside ourselves, consider the lifecircumstances of others, and deliberately choose kind and thoughtful ways we may tender service to them. Personal movement from self to other is a commitment to loving"in Christ.” It demands struggle to move toward the Lord’s standard of self-giving, in hope of refreshing others in their hearts, recognizing that it may entail death to our own needs and desires.” (Dynamis 9/1/2012)
“The Apostle Paul commands us to ‘live for Christ (2 Cor 5:15). But his command radically opposes the common, every day expectations we meet so often: to fit in, to be nice and to adapt. Truthfully, these are purveyors of the common culture who encourage us to enjoy ourselves, be pleasant, contribute a"fair share” to society, assist others, and generally meet the expectations of employers, families, friends, and society. To tell the truth, they actually are currying the cheap desires of self-satisfaction, self-esteem, in us.” (Dynamis 8/20/2012)
“The crucial factor for enabling us to"live for Christ” is to cast off efforts to look good. That is the way of the world. Strive, rather, to cleanse the thoughts of our hearts that we may hear the Lord speaking in us - in the depth of our being.” (Dynamis 8/20/2012)
“Love is the way of life in Christ.” (Dynamis 8/20/2012)
“…we should all remember that love is a way of being not an emotion. Love is relational. Our growth in Christ is due to our relationship with Him – nothing else. Our entire faith is built on this understanding." (Sacramental Living)
“We must be careful to avoid making judgments about a person because God may be working in ways we know nothing about.” (Life Application Study Bible, Job 42:2-4)
“Serving people requires a sacrifice of time and personal desires. Being Christ’s follower means serving others, even when they do not measure up to our expectations.” (Life Application Study Bible, 2 Corinthians 4:5)
“Our responsibility is to let people see God through us.” (Life Application Study Bible, 2 Corinthians 4:7)
“When dealing with people, it is more important to love and understand them than to analyze them or give advice. Compassion produces greater results than criticism or blame.” (Life Application Study Bible, Job 26:2-4)
"The gifts of the spirit, wonderful as they are, are temporary and incomplete. They are for this age, while we are"children.” But love continues into the age to come; it is eternal, complete and fulfilling.” (Orthodox Study Bible)
“Spiritual people must be careful not to pursue self-development at the expense of broken, lost people. When we give too much attention to our own needs, ideas, spiritual expression, we may push aside the Spirit’s true desire and abandon those who need encouragement. Follow Pauls’ advice and make encouraging and edifying others the highest goal.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 14:9)
"…Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth…it is one thing when God commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves; it is another to actually do it.” (1 John 3:18, Dynamis 1/9/2015)
"Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained." (C. S. Lewis)
"The greatest act of love is giving oneself for others. How can we"give up our lives”? By serving others with no thought of receiving anything in return. Sometimes it is easier to say we’ll die for others than to truly live for them—this involves putting others’ desires first.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 John 3:16)
“...the best preparation for loving the world at large, and loving it duly and wisely, is to cultivate an intimate friendship and affection towards those who are immediately about us." (Cardinal John Henry Newman)
“We have a difficult time loving those who love us, let alone those who hate us.” (Fr Stephen Freeman)
"The claim that"God is love” is unique to Christianity. Other monotheists believe that one God means one person— and there can be no true love without more than one person. Polytheists believe there are many distinct divine natures— and there can be no true love without a union of persons. God can be love only if He is Trinity, and therefore only Trinitarians can truly profess that"God is love.” (Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou)
“The Trinity is the image of love, and unity in diversity and diversity in unity.” (Timothy Ware)"The Holy Trinity is one in essence, yet each Person of the Trinity is distinguished by personal characteristics. Relating this to us, one God in three Persons dwelling in perpetual love is the highest example of how we should live with one another. We are all the same in essence but unique in our persons. We too should live in unity made up of our diversity and in a loving state where we care for one another in the spirit of community.” (Sacramental Living,)
"Even the Christian doctrine of God as triune [Father, Son and Holy Spirit], consisting of three persons who have known and loved one another from all eternity, demonstrates that relationships of love are the building blocks of all reality” (Pastor Timothy Keller)
“Think of yourself by yourself on a desert island for the rest of your life. How much love could you express with no one else to love? Not much because self-love is not love.…love is a way of being not an emotion. It is a genuine concern for another’s welfare…Some people express how sorry they feel for people who are poor and hungry but also never give any of their money or time to help. Thoughts and feelings that do not translate into actions reduce love to emotion or sentiment.” (Sacramental Living)
“Being gentle does not exclude being firm. Jesus was firm... The scriptures reveal … that Christ most often took a gentle approach toward His hearers. His words were intoned with love and consideration, not anger and wrath…When we are authentically gentle, we are simultaneously bold and courageous. Gentleness is not associated with being a doormat.” (Albert S. Rossi, Father George Morelli)
"Many of us don’t have an image of ourselves like the image God has of us. We don’t have a strong sense of loving gentleness toward ourselves. Hence, we get into a performance mentality, a mindset that tightens our brow, flexes our mental muscle, and tries to do too much, not because God is calling us to do so much, but because pride and ego want to perform better. Yes, we can be gentle with ourselves within an ascetical life of integrity.” (Albert S. Rossi)
“In social encounters where love, gentleness, kindness, and thoughtfulness are mocked, we are to love others beyond the standard of reciprocity (Luke 6:32). We are to do good even when the majority do not return favors (Luke 6:33), and lend when we have no reasonable assurance of repayment (Luke 6:34)…Our Lord places the lofty standards of heaven before us, insisting we rise above our self-serving nature.” (Dynamis 10/5/2014)
"Learn from your own experience to sympathize [empathize] with those in trouble, and never to terrify with destructive despair those who are in danger, nor harden them with severe speeches, but rather restore them with gentle and kindly consolations..." (St. John Cassian)
“Empathy provides energy to others because it makes them aware that we understand their suffering and don’t judge, condemn, or try to fix their problems. Sympathy… takes on the feelings and pain of others in an effort to identify with their plight...A person who is a healing presence to another person provides empathy in abundance without accepting or expressing sympathy. Sympathy…simply magnifies the problem. Sympathy is codependence and pride in disguise. If someone else is feeling depressed, it doesn’t do him or her any good if I become sympathetic and take on the depressed feelings. Other people need hope and strength, not another depressed person to pull them deeper into darkness.” (Albert S. Rossi)
"...love is a word Christians [and people in general] throw around a great deal. All the time I hear people say,"Love is all that matters,” or something to that effect. But rarely do we consider that love is not that easy." (Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou)
“Everyone believes that love is important, but love is usually thought of as a feeling. In reality, love is a choice and an action...God’s love always involves a choice and an action, and our love should be like His…God calls us to genuine love that goes far beyond pretense and politeness. Genuine love requires concentration and effort. It means helping others become better people. It demands our time, money, and personal involvement.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 John 4:7-21, Romans 12:9-10)
"So often when we say ‘I love you,’ we say it with a large ‘I’ and a small ‘you.' We use love as a conjunction instead of it being a verb implying action.” In loving God we encounter this same gulf between outward form and true substance, unless we can arrive at"that time when there is a longing in the heart for God Himself, not for His gifts, but God Himself." (Metropolitan Anthony Bloom)
"We are in danger of falling into one of two extremes: One is to love everyone without loving God; the other is to love God without really loving everyone. It has to be both...” (Anthony De Mello)
“Love is more important than knowledge. Knowledge can make us look good and feel important, but we can all too easily develop an arrogant, know-it-all attitude. Many people with strong opinions are unwilling to listen to and learn from God and others. We can obtain God’s knowledge only by loving Him (see James 3:17-18). And we can know and be known by God only when we model Him by showing love (1 John 4:7-8).” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 8:1-3)
“God structures the world so that love for others is the true foundation of every flourishing human interaction…We learn from Love how to love, by striving to love like Him above all else…He who remains in love, remains in God: where love is; there is God also (Dynamis 3/25/2015, 7/20/2015, Saint Paisius Velichkovsky)
“Love is the greatest of all human qualities and is an attribute of God himself (1 John 4:8). Love involves unselfish service to others. Faith is the foundation and content of God’s message; hope is the attitude and focus; love is action. When faith and hope are in line, you are free to love completely because you understand how God loves.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:13)
“He who loves God both believes truly and performs the works of faith reverently. But he who only believes and does not love, lacks even the faith he thinks he has; for he believes merely with a certain superficiality of intellect and is not energized by the full force of love’s glory. The chief part of virtue, then, is faith energized by love." (St. Diadochos of Photiki)
“Focusing intently on Christ naturally results in a lifestyle of greater and greater selflessness…Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays.” (Charles Swindoll, Andrew Murray)
“...to love as God loves. Such love is the gift of pure prayer.” (Brock Bingaman and Bradley Nassif)
“We are not held accountable to God for every need in this world. The parable of the Good Samaritan informs our understanding of the words"to all.” The one we are to help is the one we find in need on the road. He is my neighbor (Lk 10:29). Pray for guidance and wisdom concerning all appeals.” (Dynamis 9/16/2015)
“God wants us to be aware always of the people next to us. It’s not enough to work honestly and industriously, for Christ calls us to be a priesthood of believers who willingly take responsibility for those who are our neighbors. God calls the laity to do a job the clergy cannot do in many instances.” (Bruce Larson)
"...old scriptural language showed so sharp a wisdom when they spoke, not of one’s duty towards humanity, but one’s duty towards one’s neighbor. The duty towards humanity may often take the form of some choice which is personal or even pleasurable...But we have to love our neighbor because he is there—a much more alarming reason for a much more serious operation. He is the sample of humanity which is actually given us. Precisely because he may be anybody he is everybody. He is a symbol because he is an accident.” (G.K. Chesterton)
“...love for one’s neighbor is an old command...We can show love in many ways: by avoiding prejudice and discrimination; by accepting people; by listening, helping, giving, serving, and refusing to judge. Knowing God’s command is not enough. We must put it into practice"doing what God has commanded us…Imagine the domino effect in the world if everyone actually ‘loved their neighbors’ – if they really focused on the persons near them and their local community.” (Life Application Study Bible, 2 John 1:5-6, Sacramental Living II)
“If they [our children] do not see in their parents a Christian who is quick to forgive, quick to show mercy, and quick to give to the poor, they will not see Christ. If they do not see in a parent one who loves his neighbor, as Christ commanded, they will not see the Christ who changes and transforms lives.” (Abbot Tryphon)
"Christ forms us into a body—into a group of individuals who are united in their purpose and in their love for one another and for the Lord. If an individual stumbles, the rest of the group is there to pick that person up and help him or her walk with God again.” (Life Application Study Bible, Ephesians 4:15,16)
“Paul does not look at the Christian as an isolated individual walking toward perfection, but as a member of the body, striving to reach the perfect faith and full knowledge of the Son of God." (Orthodox Study Bible, Ephesians 4:11-16)
“As persons created in the image of God, we were created not only for communion with God, but with one another as well. In fact, we cannot be fully human apart from our relationships with others.” (Clark Carlton)
“If we think we love God but don’t love people, we are fooling ourselves…The Ten Commandments themselves all are about love. The first four are about loving God and our relationship with Him, but the next six, that is the majority, are about our loving relationships with each other.” (Sacramental Living)
“As Christians, we should never lose sight that all of us are one family in Christ, that is God’s spiritual family, and it does not matter if we are related by blood or not. Some of the most touching stories in the Bible that also resulted in great blessing are between people that bonded spiritually as a family but were not related by blood.” (Sacramental Living)
“Our goal should be to have a right relationship with God and also with others…Our thoughts and actions must be motivated by love...and we must be careful about judging others...However, we also have a responsibility to confront flagrant sin within the church." (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Timothy 2:8, Mark 9:42)
“The Christian is in a different position from other people who are trying to be good. They hope, by being good, to please God if there is one; or—if they think there is not—at least they hope to deserve approval from good men. But the Christian thinks any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him. He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” (C. S. Lewis)
"That is what is meant in the Bible by loving him: wishing his good, not feeling fond of him nor saying he is nice when he is not.” (C. S. Lewis)
“The best way to show that a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or to spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick along side it.” (D. L. Moody)
"The Lord and His prophets and apostles lived in a culture that often used salt to ratify everyday agreements. Salt symbolizes fidelity and constancy. When the Lord Jesus announces that"every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt,” He tells us that genuine trials cannot be successfully met without fidelity and constancy. The way to be ready for fire is to train ourselves in the practice of stability. The Holy Spirit offers this gift to the earnest, struggling Christian. Our Lord identifies the salt of faithfulness as a means to"peace with one another.” (Dynamis 1/20/2014)
“Love is able to give tough advice; it doesn’t hedge on the truth. Christ loved us enough to die for us, and He also loves us enough to talk straight to us.” (Life Application Study Bible' Mark 10:21)
"In most areas of life, we all are concerned with the truth...Yet it seems that when it comes to questions of religion and spirituality and the accompanying moral questions, we as a culture quite suddenly become relativists.” (Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick)
"Love is not a thing of enthusiastic emotion. It is a rich, strong...vigorous expression of the whole round Christian character—the Christlike nature in its fullest development.” (Henry Drummond)
“God wants us to be real and transparent in all our relationships.” (Life Application Study Bible, 2 Corinthians 1:12-14)
“Without love, prayer is of no benefit, advice is hurtful and pointing out errors is harmful and destructive to the other person who senses whether we love him or not and reacts accordingly." (Elder Porphyrios the Kapsokalyvite)
“One must strive to have a good opinion of everyone. Only God is the Knower of hearts. We cannot infallibly judge people…He who sufficiently knows and judges himself has no time to judge others.” (St. Hilarion of Optina, St. Philaret of Moscow)
“Our judgments of others often arise because of something within ourselves that we reject. Often when we become aware of these patterns of judgment we discover something of our own selflimits.” (Christine Valters Paintner)
“Many times Christians base their moral judgments on opinion, personal dislikes, or cultural bias rather than on the Word of God. When they do is they show that their own faith is weak." (Life Application Study Bible, Romans 14:10-12)
“...we have no business judging others' practices based on our own ideas, prejudices, or cultural heritage. These things cause us to lose sight of the fact that we are united in Christ, who is our one Lord and Judge." (Orthodox Study Bible, Romans 14:7-10)
“Love every man in spite of his falling into sin. Never mind the sins, but remember that the foundation of the man in the same—the image of God." (St. John of Kronstadt)
“Love towards one’s brother cultivates love towards God. We are happy when we secretly love all people. Then we will feel that everyone loves us. No one can attain to God unless he first passes through his fellow men. For the person who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (1 John 4:20). (Elder Porphyrios the Kapsokalyvite)
“Christian love is not a sentiment or an emotion; Christian love is an act of the will, a virtue. Christian love is a gift of God’s grace, but we must make the effort to exercise that gift of grace. We must love God, and we must love one another. If we do that we shall live according to the law of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” (Bishop Basil Losten)
“Christian love is not a feeling but a choice. We can choose to be concerned with people’s wellbeing and treat them with respect, whether or not we feel affection toward them.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 John 2:9-11)
"Christian love moves in two directions, towards God and towards its neighbor; and in self-love it finds its chief adversary, which must be fought and conquered. It is self-love that alienates man from God, preventing him from sincerely giving himself up to God, and it is self-love that shuts up a man’s heart against his neighbor.” (Anders Nygren)
“The nature of self-love and of this human Ego is to love self only and consider self only.” (Blaise Pascal)
“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (Jesus Christ)"A person's dignity and worth come from God, not from fellow humans. So we must not judge others by the earthly standards of rank, wealth, attainments, and appearance.” (Orthodox Study Bible, James 2:1-4)
"Our starting point is always wrong. Instead of beginning with ourselves, we always want to change others first and ourselves last. If everyone were to begin first with themselves, then there would be peace all around." (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica)
“…we are told not to worry but rather trust God and not judge others but first look to our own lives.” (Richard Stearns)
"We judge others by their actions; we judge ourselves by our intentions.” (Unknown)
“Because God is both communion and diversity, we are complete only in relationship. We are made for communion. This fact is the underpinning of our creation as male and female in the image of God…Let us recognize, therefore, that gender diversity is not merely natural, but supranatural. Furthermore, we do not find completion merely in physical union but in spiritual communion with God.” (Dynamis 3/5/2014)
"…relationship comes before accomplishment. Discernment, then, is the opportunity to deepen the relationship so that our actions in the world arise out of communion with God. God’s will and love for us are not utilitarian. He does not love us for what He can get out of us. He loves us for ourselves. He loves us as we are, for He created us. He calls us friends.” (Gordon T. Smith)
“God is willing to share His friendship with us....All we need to do is....worship the Lord with fasting and prayer, and His seek His Presence all the days of our life.” (OCA website and Father Lawrence Farley)
“Consider all men to be your brothers, and sick brothers at that. And if you come to feel that God has given you better health than others, know that it is given through mercy, so in health you may serve your frailer brothers." (St. Nikolai Velimerovich)
“I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God….One of the chief scalpels that God has chosen for shaping us into His image is the dynamic of personal friendships… How much we love God can be measured by how well we treat others.” (Max Lucado, Jack Hayford, Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 10:42)
“Sin and correction are to remain private unless the offender refuses to repent. All correction must be done"with great care and humility, with the highest concern being the salvation of the offender." (Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 18:18-20)
“When someone wrongs us, we often do the opposite of what Jesus recommends. We turn away in hatred or resentment, seek revenge, or engage in gossip. By contrast, we should go to that person first, as difficult as that may be. Then we should forgive that person as often as he or she needs it. This will create a much better chance of restoring the relationship.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 18:15-17)
“Jesus advised those who are without sin to cast the first stone (John 8:7). To hold back judgment of others requires great humility. It requires us to recognize our own sinfulness and woundedness before we rush to judge another. So often, in psychological terms, what we hate in another person is what we hate in ourselves...Humility is the act of remembering our earthiness and limitations. Preoccupation with the sins of others blinds us to our own failings. When we claim the wholeness of our experience we become more compassionate toward others.” (Thomas Merton)
“One of the heaviest burdens many of us bear is that of casting judgment.” (Rev. Christopher H. Martin)
“Try in every way to preserve the peace of the soul and not to be disturbed by the insults of others. Likewise avoid judging others. By not judging and by silence the peace of the soul is preserved. When a man is in such a frame of mind, he receives Divine revelations." (St. Seraphim of Sarov)
“Don’t give up on the people you love. Your patient love and faithfulness may be exactly what they need to make a complete turnaround.” (Jesus Saves@GodlyLife)
"Forgiving others is tough work—so much so that many people would rather do something totally distasteful than offer forgiveness to someone who has wronged them.” (Life Application Study Bible, Mark 11:25)
"Each one should pay attention to his own faults. Only God, Who knows the situation of each one of us - our strength, environment, our individual gifts, temperament and capacities - can justify or condemn.” (St. Abba Dorotheos of Gaza)
“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” (Jesus Christ, Luke 6:27)
“How do we love our enemies? The Lord Jesus calls us to choose do them good, and good alone (Luke 6:27). That is how He treats His enemies. He gives them honest answers (see Luke 22:6769). He refuses to be baited (Luke 20:20-26) but speaks the truth to all, honoring God in every matter (Luke 6:27-38). He remains silent before hatred, forgiving insults and injuries (Luke 23:34).” (Dynamis 10/6/2014)
“Jesus asks us to follow His example by loving our enemies. Grant your enemies the same respect and rights as you desire for yourself...Jesus wasn’t talking about having affection for enemies; He was talking about an act of the will. You can’t"fall into” this kind of love—it takes conscious effort. Loving our enemies means acting in their best interests. We can pray for them, and we can think of ways to help them." (Life Application Study Bible, Luke 6:32)
“The apostles...endured all kinds of humiliation, being treated as filth, and instead of fighting back...responded with love toward their persecutors—all for the joy of serving Christ and reconciling the world to God.” (Orthodox Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 4:12-13)
“In praying for people one dislikes I find it helpful to remember that one is joining in His prayer for them.” (C. S. Lewis)
"Love is a matter of will - not sensation…Love in a Scriptural sense is not a soft, sentimental emotion. It is a deliberate act of my will. It means that I am willing to lay down my life, lay myself out, put myself out on behalf of another." (Craig Bernthal, Phillip Keller)
“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained." (C.S. Lewis)
“To love is not to experience a particular sensation in the heart; that emotion is but a reflex phenomenon, a detail of love at the least. To love is to wish for the good, it is to give the best of one's self for the good of another; it does not mean grasping for one's self; love means giving one's self." (Maurice Landrieux)
“It is wonderful how the exercise of one's will in a matter like…will eventuate in the correct emotions. Determining to wish that person's good; deliberately trying to do something loving for him; and praying for him - all this will someday bring about the emotion of love itself. But love, as the Bible interprets it, is an affair of the will, not necessarily of the emotions." (Isobel Kuhn)
"...these days when people speak of God’s goodness, they really mean His love, which they interpret as kindness...Kindness gives in and cuts us some slack while love holds our feet to the fire until it accomplishes what is best for our ultimate well-being. Kindness removes obstacles to our contentment while love remakes us into what we are intended to be. This remaking is far from comfortable.” (Thomas Williams)
"...the story of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes appears in each of the four Gospels - the only miracle to do so. In fact, there are really two multiplication stories that appear for a total of six times in the four Gospels! The generosity of our God, symbolize here by the caring for the physical needs of the people, is something about which we should always be mindful, and strive to imitate in our dealings with others." (Marianne C. Sailus)
“It is important to pray regularly and to reach out to needy people.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Peter 4:7-9)
“God has given us two hands—one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing. If we fail to fulfill this divine duty and privilege we have missed the meaning of Christianity.” (Billy Graham)
"When you see your brother, you see God.” (St. Clement of Alexandria)
“We must love our neighbor as being made in the image of God and as an object of His love.” (St. Vincent de Paul)
"But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Jesus Christ)
“In itself, anger is a blameless passion, useful in turning one away from vice. But if this passion is out of control, it turns one to contention." (The Orthodox Study Bible, Proverbs 15:9)
“What can you ever really know of other people’s souls—of their temptations, their opportunities, their struggles? One soul in the whole creation you do know: and it is the only one whose fate is placed in your hands." (C.S. Lewis)
“If we detect any trace of hatred in our hearts against any man whatsoever for committing any fault, we are utterly estranged from love for God, since love for God absolutely precludes us from hating any man." (St. Maximos the Confessor)
“Be careful with your tongue and your thoughts, for guarding them fills the soul with the light of God." (Elder Ephraim of the Holy Mountain)
“When someone annoys or insults you, it is natural to retaliate. But this solves nothing and only encourages trouble. Instead stay calm and answer slowly and quietly. Your positive response will achieve positive results.” (Life Application Study Bible, Proverbs 12:16)
"It is useless to meet revenge with revenge. It will heal nothing." (J.R.R. Tolkien)
“Because all human beings are made in God’s image, all people possess the qualities that distinguish them from animals: morality reason, creativity, and self-worth. When we interact with others, we are interacting with beings made of God…God wants us to recognize His image in all people.” (Life Application Study Bible, Genesis 9:5,6)
“…the triune nature of God, and our being made in His image, means that human life is fundamentally relational.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)
“When we talk too much and listen too little, we communicate to others that we think our ideas are much more important than theirs.” (Life Application Study Bible, James 1:19)
“..we learn three principles about loving our neighbor: (1) Lack of love is often easy to justify, even though it is never right; (2) our neighbor is anyone of any race creed, social background who is in need; (3) love means acting to meet a person’s need. Wherever you live, needy people are close by. There is no good reason for refusing to help.” (Life Application Study Bible, Luke 10:27-37)
“At the heart of all existence is a great dance of self-giving, other-centered love—oneness. Nothing is deeper, simpler, and purer.” (William Paul Young)
“But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” (James 3:8-10)
“The mouth can be used either as a weapon or a tool, hurting relationships or building them up. Sadly, it is often easier to destroy than to build, and most people have received more destructive comments than those that build up. Every person you meet today is either a demolition site or a construction opportunity. You words will make a difference.” (Life Application Study Bible, Proverbs 11:9)
“It’s a disservice to children to teach them that"sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Word can cut deeper than any physical wound and scar the soul for a lifetime when used in a hurtful manner. Children need to know this from young and learn as best they can to encourage and love with their words, not hurt, and thus have a much better chance to receive the same as they give.” (Sacramental Living)
“When He [God] forgives our sin, He separates it from us and doesn’t even remember it…If we are to follow God, we must also model His forgiveness. When we forgive another, we must also forget the sin. Otherwise we have not truly forgiven.” (Life Application Study Bible, Psalm 103:12)
“Real love is an action, not a feeling. It produced selfless, sacrificial giving.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 John 3:16)
“There are two kinds of love: we love wise and kind & beautiful people because we need them, but we love (or try to love) stupid and disagreeable people because they need us. This second kind is the more divine because that is how God loves us: not because we are lovable but because He is love, not because He needs to receive but He delights to give.” (C.S. Lewis)
“Christian love is not a feeling but a choice. We can choose to be concerned with people’s wellbeing and treat them with respect, whether or not we feel affection toward them.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 John 1:9-11)
“When Christ refers to loving our enemies, He isn’t talking about a feeling... The genuine love He’s talking about is an act of the will. It is a conscious effort to act in the best interest of others—even those who have hurt us.” (Kasey Van Norman)
“…love is not only expressed by showing respect; it is also expressed through self-sacrifice and servant hood.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 John 2:7,8)
“This second commandment ….”You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, or more clearly,"as being yourself.” It is often misinterpreted,"You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself,” which destroys the force of the statement. How much we love ourselves is not the standard by which Christ is calling us to love others. Rather, we are called to love our neighbor as being of the same nature as we ourselves are, as being created in God's image and likeness just as we are. As the Fathers teach, we find our true self in loving our neighbor.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 22:39)
“At other moments, when you dislike yourself, you still wish for your own happiness. This attitude to one’s own self is dictated by nature: towards other selves it has to be acquired.” (C.S. Lewis)
“Do not waste time bothering whether you"love” your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him” (C.S. Lewis)
“The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self …I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be.” (Albert Einstein)
“…be patient with all.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14)
“Jesus challenged society’s norms. To Him, greatness comes from serving – give of yourself to help God and others. Service keeps us aware of other’s needs and it stops us from focusing only on ourselves.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 23:11-2)
“To treat all persons we encounter as if they were Jesus is no easy task. What we do for others demonstrates what we really think about Jesus’ words to us: Feed the hungry, give the homeless a place to stay, look after the sick.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 25:31-46)
“The standard of judgment is uncalculated mercy toward others. The works produced by faith are emphasized, for saving faith always produces righteous works. What we do reflects our true inner state.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 25:31-46)
“To see Christ in everyone is the fulfillment of the great commandment to love your neighbor as yourself." (Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 25:40)
“Love is more than simply warm feelings; it is an attitude that reveals itself in action."How can we love others as Jesus loves us? By helping when it’s not convenient, by giving when it hurts, by devoting energy to others’ welfare rather than our own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. This kind of loving is hard to do. That is why people notice when you do it and know you are empowered by a supernatural source.” (Life Application Study Bible, John 13:34-35)
“We must try to feel about the enemy as we feel about ourselves—to wish that he were not bad, to hope that he may, in this world or another, be cured: in fact, to wish his good. That is what is meant in the Bible by loving him: wishing his good, not feeling fond of him nor saying he is nice when he is not.” (C. S. Lewis)
“Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence or learning.” (Frederick Faber)
“Real love for others produces tangible actions.” (Life Application Study Bible, Hebrews 13:1-5)"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” (David Viscott)
“The most important missionary journey a person can make is to walk next door.” (Unknown)
“...learning not to be the god of one’s own existence is a process that takes a lifetime...“Once we learn just how much we ourselves are a process, we can begin to apply the same perspective to others. Others, too, are processes." (Bishop John Michael Botean)
“It is necessary to get to know yourself very well, your own extreme weakness, so that you learn not to judge, not to feel burdened by another’s weakness, but to empathize and to co-suffer with him.” (Hieromonk Nektary)
“Considering how much we are all given to discuss the characters of others, and discuss them often not in the strictest spirit of charity, it is singular how little we are inclined to think that others can speak ill-naturedly of us, and how angry and hurt we are when proof reaches us that they have done so." (Anthony Trollope)
“When you catch yourself putting others down…stop and think who created them.” (Life Application Study Bible, Proverbs 17:5)
“We know that people we love are both good and bad, but we expect strangers to be one or the other.” (Russell Banks)
“When a man begins to perceive the love of God in all its richness, he begins also to love his neighbor with spiritual perception” of a different order.” (Saint Diadochos of Photiki)
“…we are members one of another and, as such, we ought naturally to act in support of our fellow Christians. As Saint Paul teaches:"Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Dynamis 6/8/2013)
"Pursuit of the interests of others becomes natural through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, for He awakens love in the heart and makes Christ and the Father present to stir up in us the"love of God in all its richness.” (Dynamis 6/8/2013)
“We are God’s masterpiece (work of art, workmanship). Our salvation is something only God can do. It is his powerful, creative work in us. If God considers us his masterpieces, we dare not treat ourselves or others with disrespect or as inferior work.” (Life Application Study Bible, Ephesians 2:10)
"Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.” (C.S. Lewis)
“We discover our role in life through our relationships.” (Rick Warren (@RickWarren))
"...love is not primarily emotional. As an obedient response to a divine commandment, it is a matter of will and action...it must involve the whole of one's inner being." (Richard Bauckham)"Love is more than lovely words; it is commitment and conduct.” (Life Application Study Bible, John 14:21)
“Nobody can always have devout feelings: and even if we could, feelings are not what God principally cares about. Christian Love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will.” (C. S. Lewis)
“But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His [God's] love for us does not. It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him.” (C. S. Lewis)
“Our heart continually flatters us, secretly exalting ourselves and depreciating others. But we must constantly see our innumerable sins in order to judge ourselves, to weep over ourselves, as for the spiritually dead....laying aside all passions and every worldly care, and let us stand....with faith and reverence, with understanding attention, with love and peace in our hearts.” (Saint John of Kronstadt)
“When we are wronged, often our first reaction is to get even. Instead, Jesus said we should do good to those who wrong us! Our desire should not be to keep score but to love and forgive. This is not natural—it is supernatural. Only God can give us the strength to love as he does. Instead of planning vengeance, pray for those who hurt you.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 5:38-42)
"Christianity does not want us to reduce by one atom the hatred we feel for cruelty and treachery...But it does want us to hate them in the same way in which we hate things in ourselves: being sorry that the man should have done such things, and hoping, if it is anyway possible, that somehow, sometime, somewhere he can be cured and made human again.” (C. S. Lewis)
"A Christian must always be kind, gracious, and wise in order to conquer evil by good." (St. John of Kronstadt)
“Evil can only be overcome by good…” (Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 5:39-42)
“Mercy is love set in motion, expressed in action. God's mercy in taking our sufferings on Himself in order to grant us His Kingdom sets us free from captivity to the evil one. In view of God's mercy to all, we in turn are to be merciful to all.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 5:7)
“Much irritability comes from a love of perfection, a deep desire that programs, meetings, and structures be run perfectly. A desire to run things perfectly can erupt into anger at events or people who get in the way or ruin that desire. Those who are easily irritated need to remember that perfection exists only in God. We need to love him and our fellow Christians, not the visions we have for perfection here on earth.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:5)
"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." (Barbra Johnson)
“The passion of this evil (slander) has so infested the world that people who have totally renounced other vices still fall into this one." (St. Jerome of Stridonium)
"God’s kind of love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. It is utterly unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. It is impossible to have this love unless God helps us set aside our own natural desires so that we can love and not expect anything in return. Thus, the more we become like Christ, the more love we will show to others.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
"Each person you meet is Jesus in disguise." (Mother Teresa)
“God created each person with dignity and worth.” (Life Application Study Bible, Deuteronomy 15:11-15)
“Sacrilege, as defined by the Oxford American Dictionary, is"disrespect or damage to something sacred.” As Christians, we believe life comes from God and that human beings are created in"the image and likeness of God.” To then disrespect or damage others in our thoughts and actions is to profane God’s creation.” (Sacramental Living)
“Jesus said the greatest commandments are to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. In his farewell discourse to His Disciples before He was crucified He implored them to love one another. Prejudice in any form is in direct opposition of these commands of love from our Lord and it actually separates us from Christ.” (Sacramental Living)
“To follow Christ means to have the capacity to coexist with other people who may be radically different from you.” (Kyriacos C. Markides)
"You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world’s happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.” (Dale Carnegie)
“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts – and we are never, ever the same.” (Unknown)
"In this life we cannot always do great things. But we can do small things with great love." (Mother Teresa)
"It's hard to underestimate the power of kindness on those around you. Your love can transform the lives of others." (Michael Minot)
“I have read stories where a simple gesture of love has changed lives. The Gospel is full of them as is the Bible as a whole. But we don’t need to look at events thousands of years ago to see this. Just the other day I read an account where a Father put his arms around a young man, who was an outcast among his friends, considered a nerd and failure, and told him how much he loved him and how proud he was that the young man was his son. The young man went from being at the bottom of his class in school to the top and became a Pastor who did missionary work around the world.” (Sacramental Living)
“...people who focus on others rather than on themselves rarely suffer from low self-esteem.” (Life Application Study Bible, Romans 13:9)
“Every person I have known who has been truly happy, has learned how to serve others.” (Albert Schweitzer)
"....dying to self” means putting the needs of others ahead of your own.” (Richard Stearns)
“God doesn’t give us abilities to enhance our own lives. He grants us gifts so that we may bring Him glory by building up others.” (Life Application Study Bible, Acts 8:18-23)
“So surely one of the signs that we’ve got a way to go in the work of love is to observe how badly we react to interruptions from other people! How do we cope with the Discipline of the Interruption? When someone else dances into my world, into my time and space and asks me for something, needs some help, wants some attention, how do I respond? Do I recognize in this moment a sacrament of the great Interruption that is God’s relationship to the world? Or am I so fixed in my own needs, wants and desires that I treat the interruption as an outrage against my own order, my rights, my responsibilities, my notion of how things ought to be?” (Hieromonk Maximos)
"God's loving care comes to us largely through the labor of others." (Pastor Timothy Keller)
“Somehow many of us have gotten the idea that self-love is wrong. But if this were the case, it would be pointless to love our neighbors as ourselves. But Paul explains what he means by selflove. Even if you have low self-esteem, you probably don’t willingly let yourself go hungry. You take care of your body and may even exercise. You clothe yourself reasonably well. You make sure there’s a roof over your head. You try not to let yourself be cheated or injured. This is the kind of love we need to have for our neighbors.” (Life Application Study Bible, Romans 13:9)
“No Christian should ever think that he or she is totally independent and doesn’t need help from others, and no one should feel excused from the task of helping others.” (Life Application Study Bible, Galatians 6:1-3)
"Tell me how much you know of the sufferings of your fellow men and I will tell how much you have loved them.” (Unknown)
“For there can be no unity, no delight of love, no harmony, no good in being, where there is but one. Two at least are needed for oneness; and the greater the number of individuals, the greater, the lovelier, the richer, the diviner is the possible unity.” (George MacDonald)
“No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:12)
“Jesus is the complete expression of God in human form, and He has revealed God to us.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 John 4:12)
“God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:12)
"He who desires to see the Living God face to face, should not seek Him in the empty firmament of the mind -- but in human love." (Feodor Dostoyevsky)
"Our job is to love faithfully the people God has given us to love, whether there are two or two hundred of them.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 John 4:12)
“Compassion means suffering with.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 9:36)
“If we are critical rather than compassionate, we will also receive criticism. If we treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, however, these qualities will come back to us in full measure. We are to love others, not judge them.” (Life Application Study Bible, Luke 6:37-38)
“More important even than correct worship and doctrine is genuine compassion for the oppressed, the poor, and the helpless.” (Life Application Study Bible, Isaiah 58:1)
"Compassion is a fruit of righteousness. Thus in man's dominion over every living thing, he is to express this dominion in compassion.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Proverbs 12:10)
"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9)
“To love another person is to discover what is unique about that person and to express our own uniqueness, while at the same time affirming our common humanity. This helps us to understand the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. This does not mean that we should love other people to the extent that we love ourselves; rather it is in loving others that we discover our own selves.” (Clark Carlton)
“...love, in the Christian sense, does not mean an emotion. It is a state not of the feelings but of the will..." (C. S. Lewis)
"Christian love comes from the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22). The Bible speaks of it as an action and attitude, not just an emotion. Love is a by-product of our new life in Christ...Christian love is a decision to act in the best interests of others.” (Life Application Study Bible, Colossians 1:8)
"To be most authentically myself is to be for others. It is by giving myself away that I find myself, along with my real destiny.” (Stratford Caldecott)
“If we are full of God’s love, it will overflow to others.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Thessalonians 3:12)
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