Love Feasts!

I didn't get near enough sleep last night. I went and did the normal Tuesday night Volleyball thing at Jeff's, and I didn't get home till 11:40pm!(Thanks to Cody's persistence.) I'm literally still getting sand out of my eyes! For real! I got up this morning and I had sand grit in the corners of my eyes, and just now I rubbed my eye and another grain was found...this one hurt, it was up under my eyelid. Yeah, so anyway, Joe Knochel called while I was playing volleyball, and it turns out we're both free on the weekend of August 13-14. I think he might come to Illinois and hang out with me! Yeah, very cool.

So I read 1 John 5, 2 John, and 3 John this morning. Before you think I did a 5 hr devotion remember that 2 & 3 John are one chapter books. Anyway, it really struck me how John was all about the love! Love toward God, love toward Christ, love toward our brothers, just love in general! I looked up "love" in the concordance to see which Greek version he was using. It varies.

Sometimes he uses Agapao, which, as it pertains to people, means to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, and/or to love dearly. Sometimes he uses Agape, which means brotherly love, affection, good will, benevolence, or love feasts. I love that last one! Love feasts. Is that not a cool definition of agape? Obviously the two words are closely related, yet they have subtly different meanings.

2John 1:5-6 is a good example of the two different usages of "love".

5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love (Agapao) one another. 6 And this is love (Agape), that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

Do you think it's significant that he uses "Agapao" when talking about one another and then switches to "Agape" when talking about keeping God's commandments? It may not be. In St. John 22:37-39, when Jesus is telling the pharisee's the first and second greatest commandments, he uses Agapao both time there. One time it refers to God and the other time to your brother.

ANYway, it's about the love folks!