|
||||||||||
|
Two Loves Required “But God had so much loving-kindness. He loved us with such a great love. Even when we were dead because of our sins, He made us alive by what Christ did for us. You have been saved from the punishment of sin by His loving-favor.” Ephesians 2:4,5 NLV As Americans, we tend to live today, fairly private lives; even though just a few yards separate us from our neighbors. God said of Israel, “ yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting Love...”. The commandment Christ left for us was to: 1) love the Lord thy God; 2) thy neighbor as much as yourself. Why? Because His love for us is an eternal and everlasting love we should emulate! Read: Luke 10:25-37 Matthew 22:34-40 Mark 12:28-31 V25-28 I. Love For God Deuteronomy 10:12 walk in all His ways, and love Him * God isn’t just someone we worship and serve- * He is someone with whom we have an everlasting relationship Mark 12:30 “all” speaks of exclusiveness * loving God means spiritual loyalty to Him alone * “all thy soul” is what gives our love for Him individuality * “with all thy strength” is how we demonstrate our love for Him 1 John 4:9-11 God’s ultimate demonstration of love to us * God expressed His love for us through Jesus Christ at Calvary * “with all thy mind” means we exhibit balanced devotion (not extremism) v29-37 II. Love For Others Matthew 10:42 offer a cup of cold water Matthew 25:34-40 our Christ like behavior becomes natural * loving your neighbor means you do for him what ever you would do for yourself- attempting to meet their need in some special way * feel their hurt, be compassionate, and especially pray for them Galatians 5:22-25 it will keep us abounding in the Holy Spirit * loving requires affection and action Hebrews 6:10 God wont forget our deeds for others We are to love God the same way He loves us. Until you love God as you should, you will never love others as you could.
|
| |||||||||||