My number one goal in life is ________________?
Think it through. Whatever the answer is will be your DOMINANT life value/principle.
If your dominant life value is to have fun, then this evening if you get a couple invitations for the evening, then you will tend to choose whichever is most FUN.
If your dominant life value is safety, then you will make sure every decision in life based on the safest choice.
If your dominant life value is to be affirmed, then you will choose things in life that will give you the most affirmation.
It's extremely important what is going to be the most important value in your lfie.
In 1 Corinthians 13. Let LOVE be your greatest aim. God says your #1 life value should be LOVE - your highest life value. The bible said God created everything in the universe for love. He created us as the object of His love. He created us to learn how to love.
Jesus said the most important thing is the "great commandment". Mark 12:28
Life is all about learning to love. Everything else is EXCESS. One day you will stand before God and answer to how well you loved yourself, God and other people.
Life is all about love. Love God with all your heart, love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Everything you do must be done with love. What does that include? EVERYTHING
Does this mean when you deal with people who attack you because of your faith? YES
Does this mean when you deal with the person at the fast food drive thru that you can't understand? YES
Does this mean when you deal with people who have different political opinion? YES
Does this mean when someone disagrees with your opinion? YES
1 Corinthians 16:14 - MEMORIZE it - "Let all that you do be done in love."
The day you understand how completely and unconditionally God loves you, you will automatically be more loving, merciful and graceful.
People who don't feel good about themselves are people are the ones who give no grace, mercy or love to others.
You cannot give to others what you do not have yourself.
Next we talk about five things the bible says about love.
1. We love because God loves us. All love comes from God. 1 John 4:7-8. God is love. The reason why God wants you to love, is because he IS love and he wants us to be like him. If He wasn't loving there would be no love in the universe. We have the ability to love because we were made in the image of God. Animals cannot love, rocks cannot love. Animals have instincts but they do not love the way human beings have the ability to love. Our two missions while on earth: Learn to love God and learn to love other people. God takes the initiative. When he sent Jesus to earth to die for us, He shows us his love.
When believers don't believe they are not measuring up to God and feel they don't love God enough, the real problem is they don't realize how much God loves them. If they realized how much God loved them so extravagantly and unconditionally, they would be automatically attracted to God. If they understand or felt how much He loved them, they would not be carrying around guilt and condemnation.
You can't make God stop loving you. Once you feel the unconditional love, you cut people more slack and give more mercy. People who hurt others don't feel good about themselves, so they pass it along to others.
Unlovely people are unLOVED people. If you are feeled with anger and impatience? You won't be able to love anyone else. Let God's love heal your heart and let it flow through.
2. Love is a CHOICE. Love is a commitment. You choose to love or to not love. We do have control over our love. Attraction is uncontrollable. Arousal is uncontrollable. Attraction and Arousal is not love. They can lead to love, but they aren't love. Love cannot be forced. You can't make someone love you or stay in love with you. You can choose to love God or not love Him. When a person says, "I just don't love her anymore". This is a choice. Don't blame it on circumstances. You are choosing not to love.
3. Love is an ACTION not just a emotion. Love can cause emotion. It can create emotion. Love is not an emotion, though. Why? We are commanded by God to love each other. You can not command an emotion. You can't command an emotion and have it be authentic, it can be acted. Love is something you DO and it is an ACTION. 1 John 3:18. "Let us not love with tongue, but with action." Acting in love when you don't feel it is a more MATURE love. It's easy to love someone who loves you, it takes nothing at all. Real love is when you do the right thing when they don't deserve it, you don't feel it or when they don't respond. Look at how we sacrificially love our children and take care of them. Anytime you have held a sick hand for
4. Love is a skill. It's something you can get good at.
to be continued....
notes from Rick Warren's "40 Days of Love, It's all About Love, Part 1".
