May 29 2016 Leaving A Legacy Of Love

LEAVING A LEGACY OF LOVE

1 Corinthians. 14:1 - “Let love be your greatest aim.”

Mark 12:30-31 - “Love your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength, love your     neighbor as yourself.  There are no commands moreimportant than these.”

THE BASICS OF LOVE

• WE LOVE BECAUSE God loves us.

1 John 4:7-8 - “Love comes from God, for God is love.

1 John 4:19 - “We love because God first loved us.”

1 John 4:16a - “We know and rely on the love God has for us.

• LOVE IS A choice AND A commitment.

Deuteronomy 30:20 -   “Choose to love the Lord your God, andcommit yourself to Him.

• LOVE IS an action, not an emotion.

1 John 3:18 - “Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.”

• LOVE IS a skill.

1 John 4:7 - “Dear friends, let us practice loving each other, for love comes from God and those who are loving     and kind show that they are the children of God, and that they are getting to know Him better.”

1 Timothy 4:15 - “Practice these things and devote yourself to them, in order that your progress may be seen by all.”

• LOVE IS a habit.

Hebrews 13:1 – Continue to love each other with true Christian love.”

Luke 6:32 -  “If you only love those who love you, what credit is that to you?”
    
Jesus said: “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.”  John 13:35

HOW TO BECOME GREAT AT RELATIONSHIPS

1.  I must commit to growing.

2.  I must learn how Jesus did it.

3.  I'm going to practice my skills.

4.  I'm going to develop the habit.

5. I'm going to trust God to help me.

Philippians 1:9 - “This is my prayer for you:  that your love willgrow more and more; that you will have knowledge andunderstanding with your love.”

October 12 2014 Developing Our Confidence

Developing Our Confidence 

Anything I have confidence in more than God is called an idol.

Deuteronomy 4:15-16 – For your own good don’t sin by making an idol in any form.

I. What happens when I put confidence in anything else more than God?

1. I AM disappointed.

Jeremiah 10:14 – Those who make idols are disillusioned.

Hebrews 2:18 – Of what value is an idol?  For he who makes it trusts in his own creation.

Isaiah 44:20 – The poor, deluded fool is trusting something that can give him no help at all.  Yet he cannot bring himself to ask: is this thing, this idol a lie?

2. I AM dominated.

1 Corinthians 12:2 – You were controlled by dead idols, who led you astray.

Psalm 115:8 – Those who make idols end up like them.  So does everyone who trusts them.

3. I AM embracing false religions.

II. Why don’t I have confidence in God?

Because I Don’t really know God.

Psalm 9:10 – Those who know the Lord trust Him.

III. Why should I put all my confidence in God?

1. BECAUSE He always tells the truth.

Hebrews 6:18 – We can completely count on Him, for it is impossible for God to lie.

Romans 3:4 – God will continue to be true even when every person is false.

2. BECAUSE He loves me.

1 John 4:16, 18 – We know how much God loves us, so we have put our trust in Him, because God’s perfect love drives out fear.

3. BECAUSE He’s in control.

Romans 8:28 – And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.

4. BECAUSE God will help me.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding.  Remember the Lord in all you do, and He will give you success.

Mark 5:36 – Jesus says: “Don’t be afraid.  Just trust Me.”

November 6 2011 Love As A Lifestyle

Love As A Lifestyle

Gal. 5:22 – The Fruit of the Spirit is Love.
Without love, nothing else matters. (I Cor. 13:1-2)
Love shows we really know God. (I John 4:7-21)
To love is our #1 responsibility. (Matthew 22:36-40)
I Cor. 13:5 -Love is not rude, love does not demand it’s own way, love is not irritable and love keeps no record of when it has be wronged. 

I. How to develop a loving lifestyle or mindset.

1. Accept others unconditionally.
Romans 15:7 – Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Romans 12:18 – If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

2. Commit yourself personally.
Romans 12:10 – Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Romans 12:5 – In Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 

3. Encourage others continually.
I Thess. 5:11 – Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up just as in fact, you are doing.
I Cor. 13:7 – If you love someone, you always believe in him and always expect the best of him.

4. Serve people cheerfully.
I Peter 4:10 – Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
Romans 12:13 – Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

5. Forgive others freely.
Col 3:13 – Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

6. Decide to expand the Kingdom.
Matthew 28:19 - Go and make disciples of all nations.
II Cor. 5:14 - For Christ’s love compels us.

II. The practical application for dealing with draining people.

1. Difficult people: I must be tactful, not just truthful.
I Cor. 13:5 - Love is not rude.
Prov. 16:21 A wise mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words the more persuasive he is.

2. Demanding people: I must be understand and not be demanding.
I Cor. 13:5 -Love does not demand it’s own way.
Titus 3:2 -Believers shouldn’t curse anyone or be quarrelsome, but they should be gentle and show courtesy to everyone.

3. Disappointing people: I must be gentle not judgmental.
I Cor. 13:5 -Love is not irritable.
Prov. 15:4 - Gentle words bring life and health.

4. Destructive people: Don’t repeat it, just delete it.
I Cor. 13:5 - And love keeps no record of when it has been wronged.
Prov. 19:11 - When someone wrongs you it is a great virtue to ignore it.

CONCLUSION: Eph. 3:17-18 – I pray that Christ will be more at home in your heart, living within you as you trust Him. May your roots go deep into the soil of God's Marvelous love, and may you be able to feel and understand how long, wide, deep and high His love really is, and experience this love for yourselves.