May 23, 2021

Love is the elusive creature that everyone desires in some form or another. The world has totally altered what love truly is and has changed what people think about love and expect love to actually be.

We are going to look at what God designed love to be and how to live it out. 

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

1.  Love must be directed toward God and provided to others in forms that resemble God. 

GOD is love and Love is from God! The number one thing we need to do is to figure out how to love and how to experience God's love, and it must be all about God!

What is the Most Important Thing?

Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and the greatest commandment."

God’s love is active, drawing us to himself. His love is personal. He doesn't love humanity in some vague sense. He loves Us! He loves you and me, and his love for us knows no beginning and no end.

2. We Must Love One Another

 Love is not self-centered, and if it is, then it's not really love. 

Jesus is responding to the Pharisees in Matthew 22:39, and he says this, "And second so another commandment 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Love God first….Love Others second! It is just that important. WE MUST love others because Jesus tells us that everything hinges on it. So how do we love others….we serve them!

To have a happy marriage, or relationship, requires that you work every single day to serve one another.  If you're not loving others, then you are not fulfilling the requirements of God's law. 

3. Love is the greatest of all acts and the highest of all attainments. 

If you miss love, then you are missing everything. Love is the greatest thing we can attain. Attaining God’s love gives us the desire to love others just as He has loved us. 

1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

A lot of times people don't really reject Christ. They reject some of us that follow Christ because they don't see the love of Christ displayed in our everyday lives. We have to show the love of Christ to those around us.

There are three things for the heart that we can do to fully experience God’s Love and show that Love to others. 

1. Feed your heart 

-Feed it with God's truth-scripture 

-Feed it with time with God-prayer

-Feed it with worship-praise

2. Free Your Heart 

-Free it of the Shame

-Free it of Guilt

-Free it of Sin

3. Focus your Heart

-Focus on obeying God 

-Focus on being generous with what you have

-Show compassion to others around you; People who you love and that love you.  

1 John 4:16-19

Matthew 22:39 

Romans 13:8

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Romans 8:38-39 

I Corinthians 2:9