Love Makes all the Difference

Proverbs 22:17 Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach...

Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

I like what Sean said this morning--If we get this-message about love-our lives will be radically different. Love- that is what Jesus lived, lived for, taught, wants for us. The Holy Spirit comes along side us and helps us...helps us love. Sean really helped me with the statement...Love is wanting the best for folks, God's best right? And if we are not relying on our feelings for that, well, that makes it simpler to chose the right thing, to love even those we don't necessarily like. (I was just having a conversation about this yesterday, what a timely message)

Then Sean reminded us what God says Love is...described in 1Corinthians 13.

Choose to be kind and patient--Treat others the way we would like to be treated...I like folks to be patient with me...so in the same way, I should be patient with others...and when it's hard, remember, the Holy Spirit is right at our side to help.

Ephesians 4:32...be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

I appreciated that the other attribute of love that Sean chose to highlight, was-Love never gives up...again timely for me...there are some people in my life that I fear will never change...but I will choose love....and never give up...never give up trying to be kind to them, to pray for them, give to them, etc.

Love makes all the difference!

Employing Your Experiences part 2

Good or bad God teaches us in a timely way through our experiences....if we let Him. Pastor Dennis counseled us to--

• Embrace our experiences--we paid a price for every one of them.
• Extract the lessons--what have I learned? Think about it, consider journaling.
  
• Employ them to help others-- our goal, as we go through life's experiences should be--that we are able to say what Paul says in Philippians 1:12 (And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News)

A thought that I had about being able to use our experiences to help others....it is so much easier to do this...the helping folks part-- if you don't judge others in their experiences. Actually it makes it easier to go through 'life coming at us,' if we don't judge others in their experiences.

think about it

Employing Your Experiences

Pastor Dennis stated early on in the message-"Don't waste your experiences!" This sentence points to the fact that we have choice in the matter.

Romans 8:28--And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Pastor Dennis pointed out that this verse does not promise us a happy ending or a fun life...But because we KNOW that God is GOOD and that He is in the redeeming business and He designed us and He has a purpose in mind for our life and knows how best for us to accomplish that purpose...we can CHOOSE whose perspective we want to concentrate on. God's perspective is that ALL things work for our good or we can choose just our perspective--'it hurt', 'it's not fair, 'God should have done something', 'I'm going to treat them the way they treated me', 'I'm not going to risk putting myself out for that person'....you get the idea. God's perspective doesn't deny the hurt, or justify the wrong or minimize the bad. He just knows how to make it all into chocolate chip cookies!

Perspective...to see the whole picture like God does, makes me think of Him looking from a high place and makes me think of the verses -- Ephesians 1:19-23-

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

See--Choosing God's perspective is choosing His mighty power...that works all things for good!

What a blessing to hear from the Gardner Family and how their family has lived Romans 8:28. And a blessing to celebrate with them!

The Purpose of Your Personality

Love God with all our Heart, our Mind, our Soul and our Strength. And likewise, Love our neighbor as ourself.

Something Pastor Dennis said years ago, he said again yesterday...You can't love God without loving people. It was in response to "It's not God I ever have problems with...it's people."

This message was a very enlightening one. I am sure that we were all able to see our personalities with more insight after Pastor Dennis was finished. I think we are also able to see with insight the personalities of those around us. With this information, I think that we can love our "neighbors" more effectively. Instead of reacting, we have an opportunity to consider the uniqueness of the personalities God created in our friends, family... neighbors.

Love is kind and patient,

never jealous, boastful,

proud, or rude.

Love isn't selfish

or quick tempered.

It doesn't keep a record

of wrongs that others do.

Love rejoices in the truth,

but not in evil.

Love is always supportive,

loyal, hopeful,

and trusting.

Love never fails!

Love God-Love Others