All We Need is Love...God's Love

This worship service is for YOU. Take it as slowly as you would like. I want to give you the opportunity to worship during the week. This "worship service" is for you to glorify God. It's not for me. Feel free to send me prayer requests via e-mail or Twitter to include in these weekly posts, so that whoever reads this may keep those requests in their prayers.

I'm glad that you have made the choice to join me today in praising our mighty Savior! Let's jump right in with Here I Am to Worship!

Dear God, thank you for getting us through this past week. Thank you for keeping us safe and giving us the ability to reach people all across the world. Be with us as we worship you today. Let us feel your love. Here we are to worship, here we are saying "YOU are my God." Let our lives reflect that of Jesus' here on Earth. Let our love be an outpouring of Yours, because Your love never fails. Amen.

Now, last week I asked for prayer requests, and I got none (this is where I would post them!). However, I have a few request of my own:

My uncle is currently in the hospital with pneumonia. He has smoked for most

of his life and has lung issues. He also has had stomach issues. For the

past year or so he has lived with my grandmother. He

has been in and out of the hospital within

that time period as well. He has been on oxygen, and still smokes. Last

week, they also discovered that he has a hernia. The end is drawing

near as his lungs grow weaker and weaker. Please pray that the Lord does His will

among all this.

Now, take this time to pray. Talk to God. Listen to Him. Let Him know your wants, your needs, your feelings. Thank Him for what He has done for you and given you.





(This next one doesn't have lyrics...I couldn't find one that does....

You'll get the hang of it if you want to sing along...Or just listen!)

God's love is marvelous. Wonderful. He sacrified His Son for us, so that we may have enternal life. How amazing. Jesus came into our world and experienced all that we have and will. God gave up His son's life because He loves us so much. God knows we aren't perfect, but He loves us anyways. His love never fails. No matter what situation we get ourselves in, no matter how far off the path we stray. God's love will never end.

Now, last week we started our series on the Fruits of the Spirit, and we talked about how Christ wants us to represents those fruits. He doesn't want us to be hard-shelled nuts that won't open up about their faith. This week, we are talking about the first Fruit -- LOVE. God wants us to love others as He loves us. His love will overflow our hearts, allowing us to love others.

In the Greek language, there are many words that mean "love." Agape is used to represent God's love for us. We must have this love for others. You may ask, "how do I know I love others in this way?" Let's take a look at the definition of love in 1 Corinthians:

In each of our relationships, we must show love for the other person in this way. This love is not only necessary between a couple, but friends and family members must show this love to each other as well. To show our love to others, we must be patient, we must not delight in evil, we must not be easily angered. We must open up our hearts to the lost and lonely. They may be hard to love, but they need our love the most. Through our love, they will learn the love of Christ.

2 John 1:6 (above) says that God commands us to love one another. That means, if we say we hate someone, we are disobeying God. If we ignore that homeless person on the side of the street asking for help, we are disobeying God. God wants us to show His love to others. If we treat others poorly, God's love is not reflected in us as it should be. God wants our love to grow so big that it will chase people down and overtake them, just like God's love has done to us.



The verse above, Ephesians 3:18, is one of my favorites. My previous youth pastor did a message for us on this verse, and it has stuck with me ever since. God's love is so amazing, so overpowering. His love so deep that it can heal even your deepest pain. His love is so high it can see tomorrow although we cannot. His love is so long that it lasts longer than an other relationship you will ever have. Even when things are falling apart, that is the one relationship that will never fail. We must show this love to others. Our love will never match the love God has for humanity, but it must reflect it. Our love should make other people want to feel the love of Christ.

Yes, it is difficult to certain people. I've been there. We all have. But, having a love like Jesus, like God, means growing to love everyone. You don't have to like someone's actions to show them love. Jesus did not like the things many people around him were doing...but do you think that stopped him from loving them? Remember, sin an action done by a real live person. There is a saying, "hate the sin, not the sinner." We all sin, and if we hated everyone who sinned, there wouldn't be a single person on Earth that we would be able to love. We all sin, and Jesus still loves us. We must show that love and grace to others. Sometimes, we need to look beyond the act and at the person.

God loves us so that we know how to love others. God pours His love into our hearts so that we have love to give others. God's love for us is unconditional. Our love for others, although difficult, must be unconditional as well. We must be full of grace, just like Christ. This week, let God's love fill your heart, and as it does, let it overflow and let that love be spread to others.

Pray with me. Abba, Daddy... Thank you for loving me. Thank you for your neverending forgiveness and mercy. Help me to show that same love to others. I know it won't be easy, but guide me. Show me the way. I love you. Amen.

Our final song today is "My Soul Magnifies the Lord." Let your life, your soul, be a reflection of God, of His love.

If you have any prayer requests or other suggestions, feel free to let me know! Also, follow this blog for update notifications!