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| home :: archive :: 04.07.15. |
15 July 2004 Commitment of Love.Question: How much do you believe God???What do you believe God for??? Your "belief in God" is only as real as your love is. Love must grow - become brighter - become more visible. A commitment of love that everyone will see. Everyone will know that this overcoming church will have a commitment of love. Where there is no spiritual unity there is no lasting victory. There is lasting victory because there is love. Love is a "passion" for unity. For oneness love without commitment is not love!!! Matthew 24:10-12 Question: Can you love without commitment? There is no such thing as love without commitment. Love is found in the depth of your commitment. People who withdraw from being committed, their love will become cold. Illust: In front of you there will always be "stumbling blocks". People do not stumble over "boulders" - people fall over stones - "little things" - To "stumble" is to stop walking and fall. If you do not watch - you will fall over someone's weaknesses or sin's. When you fall over someone's weaknesses or sin, you must get back up. You must continue to love as you did before. You cannot withdraw from walking in love. You must "forgive" those who caused you to stumble. Every time "you refuse to forgive" or to "overlook" a weakness in some one else, Your heart hardens toward them - and your heart also hardens towards God. You cannot form a negative opinion of someone (even if they may deserve it!) You cannot allow this kind of attitude to affect your attitude & your heart. For every time you do - an area of your heart will grow cold toward God. 1 John 4:20 "Any one who says - I love God - and hates his brother is a liar - for he who does not love his brother who he has seen cannot love God - who he as not seen." You may not like what someone has done, but you do not have an option to stop loving them. God has provided a "kingdom standard" in which we are to love. Love is: You need to be strong when God tells you to be firm. Yet beneath your firmness - there must be a love that is waiting to spring into action. Love is a compassion that is empowered by faith & prayer. To see God's best come forth in the one you love!!! When you have love for someone - means you have predetermined that you will stand with them. Regardless of what they are going through. Everyone needs a person who will love them. The fullness of God's kingdom will come when we become committed to one another in love. I am not talking about salvation - I am talking about growing up in your salvation. You are to be committed to each other with Jesus' love. More than anything else, people will stumble over faults or weakness of others. These things are quickly discovered by the enemy and made into great big problems. You need to overcome your struggles about commitment. "Well - as soon as I find the perfect "person" then I will be committed." "I need to find the "person" that believes the same way I do." When you who decide in your heart that you don't want God to deal with you about the quality of your love, You will then begin to blame your "lack of commitment" on someone else. The kingdom of God is founded on "relationships". Your relationships with God and your relationship with one another. Doctrines only help define those relationships. Love is the greatest of all the commandments of God. Mark 12:28-33 How you love others -- is how you love God!!! When you love God - your love for others will be like your love for God. Why??? The more you unconditionally love God - the more you will unconditionally love others!!! You cannot truly have Jesus and at the same time - not do what he says. The love & faith that looks like Jesus is the love & faith that is in Jesus. This kind of love is being committed - no matter what the cost. The kingdom of God is not "just" in you or me, the kingdom of God is in "us" - together. John 17:23 says that we are being perfected into one unit - united in love with God. To have God's kingdom working properly within you, you must be committed one to another. As individuals & as a church body together. Jesus accepts us while we are still imperfect. We must also accept one another as imperfect. Question: Who are the people who will possess the kingdom of God??? Those people who overcome the obstacles of each others weaknesses & faults. "I will discover the heights & depths & the length & the breath of the love of Jesus". As a body we must become filled with the life of our Lord & we must become flooded with the love of Jesus Christ. Dale Boehs 15 July 2004 to load the version for print |
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