”Love No Matter” (Billy Russell, 1/12/20)

Handling 2020 Surprises

                                            “Love No Matter”

                                  

“Love the Lord your God... Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mk.12:30-31) “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (Jn.15:12)

 “Love must be sincere.” (Rom.12:9)

 

We can count on the new year bringing unexpected surprises our way! How can we focus our intellectual, emotional, and spiritual energies in order to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” in 2020 (2 Peter 3:18)?

 

According to Jesus, love is... our ruling thought, action, and motivation.

    Love actively reflects & practices selfless commitment, service, sacrifice.

 

Love must be...  “sincere” = w/o hypocrisy, genuine, real, relevant.   

                             Seeable, believable, demonstrable; winsome.

 

          What would living that kind of love look like? Active Family Traits:

 

*practice holy discernment- “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (v.9b).

                              A “holy earnestness” for what his morally upright (good).

 

*devoted love- “Be devoted to one another in love” (v.10a). Tenderly,

                               lovingly committed to one another.

 

*show honor-  “Honor one another above yourselves” (v.10b). Lead out in

                               honor, giving preference to others, out do each other.

 

*boundless zeal- “Never be lacking in zeal, keep up your spiritual fervor,

                             serving the Lord” (v.11). “aglow w/ the energy of the

                             Spirit” for the things of the Spirit for the Spirit’s purposes.

 

*joyful, prayerful perseverance- “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction,

                                                    faithful in prayer” (v.12). Triad command.

 

*pursue hospitality- “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice

                                 hospitality” (v.13). Go out of your way to provide relief.