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“THE IMPORTANCE OF GOD'S LOVE IN OUR LIVES”
By Pastor Mark Taylor
"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)
Hopefully the Holy Spirit will reveal to you how important love is to your church, to your friends, to your family, and to your relationship with the person who loves you the most. and that is God. The reason it is commanded is because it is necessary to operate in the kingdom of God. If you worked in a factory with heavy machinery the command would be "Safety First". If you were in the military the command would be "Following Orders". In God's Kingdom It is to "Love".
God's Word tells us that being able to love and love others is more important than having a good education. It is more important than having a successful career. It is more important than developing great skills and abilities. It is more important than giving your life to a cause. It is more important than feeding the poor or healing the sick. Love is more important than generosity. This is shown to us in 1 Corinthians 13 and throughout the Bible.
Paul is saying to us, that even if you go to church every time the church doors are open, if you give large offerings, if you read your Bible faithfully, if you pray, & do all the things that a Christian person ought to do, but do not have love, you have missed the most important thing in life and that is love. You are not fulfilling he purpose God has for your life.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotton Son. That whosoever that believes in Him would not perish, but have every lasting life". (John 3:16)
How do you communicate love so the other person feels loved? There are different ways to communicate love and they are what I will discuss during the next four weeks.
Words of affirmation Gifts Acts of service
Quality Time. Physical Touch
Each of has a way that makes us feel loved. And some have more than one way. Couples very seldom communicate love in the same way. You can identify how others feel loved by observing how they love you. What do they ask of you that they is meaningful to them..
But the key to demonstrating is to find an intentional way to use it. I will give you several examples of ways to intentionally and purposefully do this in the next four weeks. This series of messages is not just to set future goals but to be able to live in the present moment to demonstrate your love.
When I was born into God's family I inherited some of His characteristics and values. I begin to have a love for Him and others that I did not have within myself. I really did not know how to intentionally demonstrate that love.We need to start thinking like God thinks. Let us start asking the question WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?). He is constantly thinking about love and how to show you His love to you. But you cannot love others like God does until you know and love God - "For God is love." (I John 4:8)
So what does God want to do with His love since His nature is love? He wants a relationship with the people He created. He wants a father son - father daughter relationship. That is the ultimate love relationship. He has sent the Holy Spirit to draw you into His love. He wants you to be born into His family so He can share His love with you. He is interested in you and loves you.
To become a person who is totally connected to your Heavenly Father, you must find a way to do something with that Love He has put in you.
We all know the physical law of gravity and how it works. There are also spiritual laws that apply to those who love God and have chosen to follow Him.
God knows and is trying to reveal to you, your greatest need and that is to be loved and feel loved. He has given us a spiritual principle of giving and receiving love. "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your life. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” ( Luke 6:38). Give to others and to God and He will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands—all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.” Our Lord Jesus was talking about acts of love, not money in this verse.
This giving of love is like making a deposit in a bank. Every time you give of your love you are not only helping others but you are making it possible for God to bless you in your time of need. Loving God and loving others is not just about the benefit they receive, but the love you will receive from God and others. As you love others, God will show His love towards you
God's love is not predicated on works, but God has given us the spiritual principle of sowing and reaping. But the benefit of loving others as He has loved us is for us to receive His blessings proportionally and in His timing at our greatest point of need.
Many times God shows His love toward us when we don't deserve it - when He offers us salvation and eternal life, it is a free gift. Romans 5:8- "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." His Grace is also a gift. But after we receive both, we are commanded to: "love one another as I (Jesus) have loved you.” (John 15:12).
Love is the most important word in any language. It was also the most important commandment given to us from God and the Lord Jesus Christ. “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. "And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31).
An assignment for you this week is to find your primary love language by observing the things that make you feel loved and the the things you do for others to make them feel loved. Then see which one of these categories it fits into:
Words of affirmation (encouragement),
Gifts - (Giving and receiving gifts),
Acts of service
Gifts - (Giving and receiving gifts),
Acts of service
Quality Time,
Physical Touch
Physical Touch
And then we will learn how to communicate our love better during the next four weeks.
