Love…“The Most Excellent Way”

I am grateful as I read God’s Word, It is always exactly what I need for the moment…Great is God’s Faithfulness. But this should not surprise any of us…God, is our heavenly Father and always cares for us…The basis of our Christian Faith is God’s Love expressed in Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Peace. No matter what happens, that is His desire for us as believers to love one another as He loves us…                    But in our World…How can we live this most excellent way? There are a lot of ways to do things, but the Lord teaches us the Most Excellent Way…not just the right way, or the good way, or even the best way,       but the Most Excellent Way…and that is by His Love….

The World needs to see God’s Love in our lives.

We must not act like the World, we must live out the new command Jesus gave us in John 13 to “Love one another.” Love must be evident in our lives…no matter what…We must live God’s Way…with Love…This was Paul’s point. So He defines love vividly. Love is represented in the Scriptures as an attribute of God and as a Christian virtue. Love is the highest characteristic of God. It is affection, plus a tender and passionate attachment, a sentiment of our nature shown forth by qualities in a person or thing that command our affection;  Love, whether used of God or man, is an earnest and anxious desire for and an active and working interest in the well-being of the one loved. Love is what you give to others. Love starts and stops with God.

He is the Author. He created it out of His very nature, and He desires that we share

and experience this wonderful gift with each other.

I think it is interesting to compare the most familiar verse in the Bible with another verse that John wrote. Most people can quote John 3:16, but look at 1 John 3:16: "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."

The two 3:16 verses have a complementary message: love gives sacrificially. The world knows little about sacrificial love, and the definitions can vary…but….Real LOVE  is an outflow of the Holy Spirit.

Love is the action of doing what is best for someone. Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that agape love is a necessary reality of being a believer. He wanted them to realize that love plays a prominent part in all Christian behavior, and without it, the behavior ceases to be Christian.

 Love is action oriented…doing what is right.

Basically what Paul is saying is this in 1 Corinthians 13… Love is very patient, but we are mostly impatient. Love is very kind but we are frequently unkind. Love knows no jealousy, but we are often jealous. Love makes no parade, but we are proud…and on and on… God wants you to know true love, what it is to be blessed. And the real key is simply to learn to love. It is an attitude. A determination to love in spite of circumstances. Doing the most excellent way. And this must be a reality for the Christian. God is love, so if God is to be seen in us, it is going to be when we express His Love. We can react to things in the name of love, or respond to things in love. As God is Love, we must be love, living out our faith. I must confess, there are many times where I have fallen so short of what the Lord would have me be.

But Good news…

God forgives us all (including you and me)  and restores and allows us to move on in His Love…

True love is God shining through us. It is perfect and it is possible, but it must be practiced…It is not easy…but it is possible… Now I realize this is not the world’s point of view, and maybe not even yours. But this kind of love emphasizes what you give. It is a decision! You don’t work up true love. It is an attitude. 

It is simply, yet intentionally allowing God to love through you.

The world says do this so people will love you, God says, love in spite of and I will take care of the rest. We cannot understand it completely, but we must trust God. Be patient, kind, etc. and God will bless you: Not man but God. Love is not dependent on others, but on your relationship to God.

So what is the point anyway? Can we learn to love?…

Yes if you know that God is in your life, you can. But you can’t give what you don’t have…To love, one needs God. Get to know God better, the better you know God, the better you can love, for God is love.

And so…we decide to live… The most excellent way…

Remember that Love is a Command (John 13:34)

Realize that You have the power to Love (Acts 1:8)

Recognize that Love is Normal Christian behavior.

Rejoice that Love is the Spirits Work (Gal. 5:22)

Recommit yourself to Live out your love…Let Jesus live through you daily

Love one another with the Spirits Power…

Let me invite you to recommit your life to what the Bible Calls the Most Excellent Way…

Let the love of God be what directs your life…Your life and your world will be a better place…

           Understanding the true meaning of LOVE!

Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV)

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. 

 

Valentines Day…in America. February 14^th…Are you ready?

Love is in the air…Heard about this little girl who came home and told her dad that a little boy at school had kissed her for Valentines Day…

How did that happen honey? It wasn’t easy, It took 3 of us to catch him and hold him down to do it. Remember your childhood stories, Valentines???

True Love…How can we ever understand the Definition of Love?

            It begins with Believers understanding the grace of God’s Love…

1 John 4:7-12 says:    7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

This is true Love…Being in a right relationship with God by Faith in the LJC empowered 
by His Holy Spirit within. Remembering why you have what you have.

 v. 14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven 
and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you
with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

When you truly understand the definition of Love you will be closer to understand

The Depth of Love In Christ Jesus…

v.18 may have power, together with all the saints, 
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

Being a part of the body of Christ, the church, provides us with a spiritual capacity to comprehend what God has for us. As we fellowship together, worship together, pray together, we begin to comprehend (we are enlightened) it is revealed…

To the breadth of the love of Jesus, that breaks all barriers, traditions, prejudices, misunderstandings.To the length of Jesus, that came down from eternity for eternity

To the height of the love of Jesus, that is found in all God is and does.

To the depth of the love of Jesus…for all mankind.

We must grasp this truth, come to grips with this understanding.

Do you truly understand how much God loves you?

So we can see the Definition of Love and the Depth of Love, but

It must go further. We must understand  The Dynamic Fullness of Love

v. 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge

— that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Paul prays that we may know what seems to be unknowable…Our fullness in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.You see God knows all, sees all, hears all and we don’t.

So as we know God, He relates these truths to us. Our lives are enlarged, and made prosperous by the power and peace of God. We our filled to His fullness.

God’s love spreading to our community through US!

You know I would pray that this would be an encouragement to you today and we all would…
just like the Benediction says in   (v. 20-21) of our text…20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power
that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
 

I am so encouraged by the facts of our faith.

I am encouraged by God so that we can encourage others.

Today is the day, we all need to understand God’s Love for us in order 
to truly love others with True Love… 

Know the Love of God in you…

Know the Power of the Love of Christ for you…

     Live the outflow of the Love of God…

by His Holy Spirit through you…

Happy “God’s Love” Day to You!