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.”

August 18 2013 Beyond GPS Staying The Course

Beyond GPS: Staying The Course

James 1:5 “If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.”

THE DANGERS OF GETTING OFF COURSE

• I will miss Relationships God has for me.
• I will miss Opportunities that God has for me.
• I will miss the Spiritual Growth that God has for me.

Ephesians 4:14-15“We are not meant to remain as children ... but to grow up in every way into Christ...”

Memory Verse: Proverbs 14:14“There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”

THREE REGULAR HABITS THAT KEEP ME ON COURSE

1. I Apply WHAT I READ FROM THE BIBLE.

2 Timothy 3:16-17“The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God's way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.”

James 1:22“Do not fool yourselves by just listening to the Word. Instead, put it into practice.”

2. I Talk to God WITH PERSONAL PRAYERS.
 
Philippians 4:6“Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

3. I Invite My Friends TO A SUNDAY SERVICE.

Matthew 20: 19-20“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

July 29 2012 How To Be Blessed By The Bible

How To Be Blessed By The Bible

James 1:19-27
The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does.

1. I must receive God's Word.

Verse 21 - Accept the word planted in you.

Attitudes for Good Reception

• Careful attitude.

Verse 19 - Be quick to listen, slow to speak.

• We need to be calm.

Verse 19b - and slow to become angry.

• We need to be clean.

Verse 21 - Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent.

• We need to be teachable.

Verse 21b -humbly accept the word planted in you.

2. I must reflect on God’s Word.

Illustration: God’s Word is like a mirror.

How?

• We must read.

Verse 25 - The man who looks intently into the perfect law.

Questions:

• Is there a sin to confess

• A prayer to pray

• A promise to claim

• An error to avoid

• An attitude to change

• A truth to believe

• A command to obey

• Something to thank God for

• An example to follow

• Review God’s Word.

Verse 25 - and continues to do so.

• Remember.

Verse 25 - not forgetting what he has heard.

3. I must respond to God’s Word.

Verse 22 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Verse 25 - The man who puts the law into practice wins true happiness.

August 22 2010 Practicing God's Kindness Under Pressure

PRACTICING GOD’S KINDNESS UNDER PRESSURE

I Peter 1: 22 – 2:10
I Peter 2:10 – Once you knew very little about God’s
kindness, now your very lives have been changed by it.
LB

Facts about God’s Kindness

1. God’s kindness must be personalized
(Eph. 2:8 – Because of His kindness you have been saved through His kindness.)
(Romans 12:1 – Dear brothers I urge you, in view of God’s mercy, offer yourselves as living sacrifices to God.)
• The Good Samaritan

2. God’s kindness develops the love principle
(I Peter 1:22 – Now you can have real love for everyone because your should have been cleansed from selfishness and hatred, so see to it that you really love each other warmly with all your heart.)
(I Peter 2:1-3 – Get rid of the feeling of hatred. Don’t just pretend to be good, be done with dishonesty and jealousy and talking about others behind their backs, put away evil, deception, envy and fraud. Long to grow up into the fullness of your salvation.)

3. God’s kindness will persevere
( I Peter 2:6 – See I am sending Christ to be the carefully chosen corner stone, and I will never disappoint those who trust in Him. David said – He is my Rock and my fortress my God in Him I take refuge and He only is my salvation. He’s my stronghold and on that Rock I’ll not be greatly shaken.)
(Psalm 62 – When my heart is faint, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I, for You have been my refuge.)
(Isaiah – Trust in the Lord forever for in the Lord we have an everlasting Rock.)

4. God’s kindness must be put into practice
•Find someone to forgive
(Eph 4:32 – Be kind to each other forgiving one
another.)
•Be understanding
(Eph. 4:32 – Be tenderhearted.)
•Supply someone's needs
(Matthew 25:35 – For I was hungry and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.)
•Be a peacemaker
(Eph. 4:3 – Try always to be at peace with one another.)
(Gal. 6:2 – Share each other’s troubles and problems.)