God is Love

The Bible makes it clear that one of the characteristics of God's nature is that He is love.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8 (NLT).

Love (Webster):  "seeking the highest good of another". It is the opposite of selfishness. It is not merely some emotion. God is perfect love.

He Is Not The Same As Love:  While one of God's most obvious attributes is love, it must be understood that He is not equivalent to love. Love is an attribute of God. The statement, "God is love" is not reversible. We can rightly say that God is love but we cannot say that love is God for that would make God impersonal

            Attribute:  to consider as a quality or characteristic of the person, thing, group, etc., indicated

His Love Is Perfect And Continual:  God can give of Himself perfectly and continually. He will never exhaust His supply of love.  The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness" Jeremiah 31:3 (NLT)

It hurts when I hear people make statements like:

·       I’ve done too much for God to ever forgive me

·       God could never forgive somebody like me

·       The roof would fall in if I went to a church

He Gave Us The Gift Of His Son:  It is impossible to love with giving. God has clearly demonstrated His love for humankind by giving the gift of His Son.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us (1 John 4:8-12) NLT).

Paul wrote:  But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us Romans 5:8 (NLT) and But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us Ephesians 2:4 (NLT).

Jesus said:  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends John 15:13 (NLT)

He Has A Special Love To Believers:  For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.  John 16:27 (NLT).

Moses wrote:  It was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your ancestors, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt Deuteronomy 7:8 (NLT).

We shared this scripture at the beginning of the declaration, but I feel led to read it again:  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8 (NLT).  This means you HAVE to love:

·       those who have mistreated you;

·       Cheated, played, punked you;

·       Violated/Abused you (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, sexually)

You don’t get to hold onto the hurt, anger, desire to vindicate yourself, etc.

1.     Exercise for the day:

2.     Close your eyes

3.     Place one hand on your stomach (left or right, it doesn’t matter)

4.     Take a big breath and release it;

5.     Take a bigger breath and allow the release to be a little longer;

6.     Take one more breath; hold it, hold it now release SLOWLY

7.     Now take a deep breath slowly filling your lungs up, watch your hand sink into your stomach and watch it rise.  Do this 10 times.  Are you good?  Ok, you sure?  Awesome

8.     Now, think about the “stuff” that prevents you from loving completely for 60 seconds

9.     S T O P

10.  Keep your hand on your stomach

11.  Slowly simulate yourself pulling the “stuff” from your stomach, keep your fist closed

12.  Extend your arm out completely without bending your elbow

13.  Open your hand and release the “stuff” (don’t try to figure it out, just trust me)

14.  Repeat steps 8-13 above two more times

Yes, I realize it seems silly, but let me ask you this: how often have you done “ridiculously, dumb, stupid” stuff and you looked like an even bigger idiot than you did before you did it?  Right, some of ya’ll can’t even count the number of times.  Very often God has us to do things that appear to be silly to others (even ourselves), but it’s OK, it will make sense later.

What you just did was simulated giving your “stuff” away to God – Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.  1 Peter 5:7 (NLT).  Each time it tries to surface, get a picture in your mind of you giving the “stuff” away and quote God’s word back to Him:

·       The first time you pray, repeat this prayer:  Father, even though this feels stupid, I am so desperate for you that I am willing to try it, so I ask that as I “give all of my cares to you because you care for me” that you will heal me from the “stuff” and give me peace about it, the kind of peace that even I can’t explain according to according to Philippians 4:7.

o   Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  (NLT)

·       In Jesus’ name, Amen

·       Each time thereafter your prayer should be of thanksgiving:  Father, I thank you for healing me from the “stuff” because I “gave you all my cares” and I thank you that “I have so much peace even I can’t explain it and that your peace guards my heart and mind” in Jesus’ name, Amen

I don’t care if you have to pray the thanksgiving prayer 27 times in one day, I know that if you say it and really mean it and you are in right standing with God, He will deliver you from the “stuff”.  Why?  Because you are exercising your faith and you are praying God’s word back to Him and God honors His word.

I’m out of time, we’ll pick it up later

                                               

In His Humble Love

Tan