Embracing God's Love: Our Call to Relationship

Devotional

Day 1: Loving Beyond Comfort Zones

Loving our neighbor means extending grace and compassion beyond our comfort zones, even to those we least expect to love, including our enemies. The parable of the Good Samaritan challenges us to mirror Christ's love for us while we were still His enemies. This kind of love is not selective but inclusive, breaking down barriers and prejudices. It calls us to act with kindness and mercy, even when it is inconvenient or uncomfortable.

In our daily lives, we often encounter people who are difficult to love. They may be those who have wronged us, those who are different from us, or those who we simply do not understand. Yet, Jesus teaches us that true love knows no boundaries. It is a love that sees beyond faults and differences, reaching out with compassion and grace. This is the love that transforms lives and reflects the heart of God.

Luke 6:32-33 (ESV): "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same."

Reflection: Think of someone in your life who is difficult to love. How can you extend Christ's love and compassion to them today? What practical steps can you take to show them kindness and mercy? [42:38]

Day 2: Cherishing His Presence

The greatest commandment is to love Jesus Himself, not just through acts of service but by being with Him and cherishing His presence. This relational love is the foundation of our faith and should be our top priority. Jesus desires a deep, personal relationship with each of us, where we prioritize spending time with Him over merely doing things for Him.

In our busy lives, it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, neglecting our time with Jesus. However, He calls us to sit at His feet, to listen to His voice, and to enjoy His presence. This is where we find true fulfillment and strength. Our love for Jesus should be the driving force behind all our actions, guiding us to live out our faith authentically.

Psalm 27:4 (ESV): "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."

Reflection: How can you prioritize your relationship with Jesus today? What specific time and place can you set aside to be with Him and cherish His presence? [44:45]

Day 3: Choosing the Better Part

The story of Mary and Martha illustrates the importance of prioritizing our relationship with Jesus over busyness and service. While Martha was busy serving, Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to Him. Jesus commended Mary for choosing the better part, emphasizing that our primary call is to be with Him and love Him.

In our service to God and others, it is crucial to remember that our first and foremost calling is to be with Jesus. Our service should flow out of our relationship with Him, not replace it. When we prioritize being with Jesus, we are better equipped to serve others with a heart full of His love and grace.

Luke 10:41-42 (ESV): "But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.'"

Reflection: Are there areas in your life where busyness has taken precedence over your time with Jesus? How can you choose the better part today by prioritizing your relationship with Him? [52:19]

Day 4: Receiving and Offering God's Love

Loving God is not about mustering up discipline or proving our worth. It's about receiving His love and offering it back to Him. This relational dynamic is the essence of our faith and transforms our lives. Just as a child gives a gift bought with their parent's money, we offer back to God what He has given us.

Our love for God is a response to His immense love for us. It is not about earning His favor but about living in the reality of His grace and love. When we receive His love, it fills us and overflows into every aspect of our lives, enabling us to love Him and others genuinely.

1 John 4:19 (ESV): "We love because he first loved us."

Reflection: How can you intentionally receive God's love today? What are some ways you can offer His love back to Him in gratitude and devotion? [49:54]

Day 5: Embracing Personal Love

Many struggle to believe that God loves them personally due to past hurts or feelings of unworthiness. The gospel message is that Jesus loves each of us individually and deeply. Our journey as Christians is to continually receive and respond to this love.

Understanding and embracing God's personal love for us is transformative. It heals our wounds, restores our identity, and empowers us to live out our faith with confidence and joy. God's love is not just a general concept but a personal reality that we are invited to experience daily.

Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV): "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt unworthy of God's love. How can you embrace the truth of His personal love for you today? What steps can you take to receive and respond to His love more fully? [57:40]

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Good morning, church family. Today, we explored Luke 10, focusing on the parables of the Good Samaritan and Mary and Martha. These stories reveal profound truths about our relationship with God and our neighbors. The central theme is that our love for God is a response to His immense love for us. We often complicate our faith, but Jesus simplifies it: love God and love people.

The Good Samaritan teaches us that loving our neighbor means loving those we least expect to love, even our enemies. This love mirrors Christ's love for us while we were still His enemies. However, we often forget the greatest commandment: to love Jesus Himself. This love is not about serving or doing things for Him but about being with Him and cherishing His presence.

The story of Mary and Martha further illustrates this. While Martha was busy serving, Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to Him. Jesus commended Mary for choosing the better part, emphasizing that our primary call is to be with Him and love Him. This doesn't mean neglecting good works but prioritizing our relationship with Jesus above all else.

Loving God is not about mustering up discipline or proving our worth. It's about receiving His love and offering it back to Him. Just as a child gives a gift bought with their parent's money, we offer back to God what He has given us. This relational dynamic is the essence of our faith.

We also discussed the importance of personalizing God's love. Many struggle to believe that God loves them personally, often due to past hurts or feelings of unworthiness. However, the gospel message is that Jesus loves each of us individually and deeply. Our journey as Christians is to continually receive and respond to this love.

In conclusion, our greatest call is to love Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This love transforms us and empowers us to live out our faith authentically. Let us prioritize being with Jesus, receiving His love, and offering our lives back to Him in gratitude and devotion.

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Key Takeaways

1. Loving Our Neighbor: The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that loving our neighbor means loving those we least expect to love, even our enemies. This love mirrors Christ's love for us while we were still His enemies. It challenges us to extend grace and compassion beyond our comfort zones. [42:38]
2. The Greatest Commandment: The greatest commandment is to love Jesus Himself, not just through acts of service but by being with Him and cherishing His presence. This relational love is the foundation of our faith and should be our top priority. [44:45]
3. Mary and Martha: The story of Mary and Martha illustrates the importance of prioritizing our relationship with Jesus over busyness and service. Mary chose the better part by sitting at Jesus' feet, reminding us that our primary call is to be with Him and love Him. [52:19]
4. Receiving God's Love: Loving God is not about mustering up discipline or proving our worth. It's about receiving His love and offering it back to Him. This relational dynamic is the essence of our faith and transforms our lives. [49:54]
5. Personalizing God's Love: Many struggle to believe that God loves them personally due to past hurts or feelings of unworthiness. The gospel message is that Jesus loves each of us individually and deeply. Our journey as Christians is to continually receive and respond to this love. [57:40]
### [57:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[38:13] - Introduction and Personal Background
[38:48] - Transition to Luke 10
[39:47] - The Forgotten Command
[41:36] - The Greatest Commandment
[42:38] - The Good Samaritan
[44:45] - Loving Jesus
[46:32] - How Do We Love God?
[50:55] - Mary and Martha
[52:19] - Choosing the Better Portion
[57:40] - Personalizing God's Love
[61:15] - Paul's Prayer in Ephesians
[67:00] - Jesus Loves Me
[69:00] - Receiving God's Love by Faith
[73:12] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, who were the three individuals that encountered the injured man, and how did each respond? ([41:58])
What was Jesus' response to Martha when she complained about Mary not helping her with the serving? ([52:19])
According to the sermon, what is the "forgotten command" that we often overlook in our faith? ([40:44])
How does the story of the Good Samaritan illustrate the concept of loving our enemies? ([42:38])

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus used a Samaritan as the hero in the parable, considering the historical context between Jews and Samaritans? ([42:38])
How does the interaction between Mary and Martha challenge our understanding of what it means to love and serve Jesus? ([52:19])
The sermon emphasized that loving God is about receiving His love and offering it back. How does this perspective change the way we approach our relationship with God? ([49:54])
What are some reasons people struggle to believe that God loves them personally, as discussed in the sermon? ([57:40])

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you found it difficult to love someone who was different from you or even an enemy. How can the example of the Good Samaritan guide you in similar situations in the future? ([42:38])
In your daily life, do you find yourself more like Martha, busy with tasks, or like Mary, sitting at Jesus' feet? What practical steps can you take to prioritize being with Jesus? ([52:19])
The sermon mentioned that loving God is not about proving our worth but about receiving His love. How can you practice receiving God's love this week? ([49:54])
Many people struggle with personalizing God's love due to past hurts or feelings of unworthiness. What steps can you take to overcome these barriers and fully embrace God's love for you? ([57:40])
Jesus commended Mary for choosing the better part by sitting at His feet. What specific changes can you make in your schedule to ensure you spend quality time with Jesus daily? ([52:19])
The sermon highlighted the importance of loving Jesus Himself, not just through acts of service. How can you cultivate a deeper, more personal relationship with Jesus in your everyday life? ([44:45])
Think of a person in your life who might be difficult to love. What is one practical way you can show them Christ-like love this week, even if it challenges your comfort zone? ([42:38])

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Our love for God is a response to his great love for us. So this morning I want to talk out of Luke 10, titled The Forgotten Command. And in our society and in my own life, I've sensed that we often drift from the basics. We drift from the simple things that God asks of us and wants for us because we're human and we tend to overcomplicate things." [40:15](

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2. "Loving our neighbor is loving the person that we're least likely to love. Let me put it in maybe modern terms: Loving our neighbor is loving the people in the opposite political party as us. I didn't get any amens there? No amens? Loving our enemy is loving the people, is loving people that are very difficult to love in our flesh." [43:30](

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3. "The greatest call, the thing that Jesus desires of us the most, is to be with him and to love him. Because the reality is, if we love him, truly love him in the deepest places of our hearts, in the places of affection and desire and passion, if we love him, we will do what he calls us to do." [46:02](

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4. "Loving God is simply this: Receiving His love, meditating and being thankful, and offering a gift back to him. Sometimes that's serving, sometimes that's giving, but sometimes it's simply just being with him. It's receiving his love and offering gratitude back." [49:54](

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5. "The message of the gospel is He loves me, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me. And have a hard time with this message because of their past. And my message to you is take the gospel personal." [01:08:06](

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### Quotes for Members

1. "We could do all of these things for God and yet never love him. We can try to prove our love by doing what we think we ought to do, but if we miss out on the first priority, which is to love God, is to love Jesus, to be in his presence on a daily basis, on a consistent basis, to sit with him in faith, that if we miss that, we have missed the whole thing." [53:38](

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2. "You don't overcome sin to prove that you love God. You love God and his grace empowers you to overcome sin. You see, the grace of God is that not that we cleaned ourselves up to the point where Jesus came and died for us. It says while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." [59:34](

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3. "The journey of the Christian life is to believe those words that Jesus loves me. The journey of the Christian life is to maintain a conviction that Jesus, in his coming and his dying and resurrecting, he thought my life worthy to die for. And I take it personal." [01:07:38](

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4. "We have a father that loves us with an endless love, that when we fail, when we are faithless, he is faithful. When we fall, he picks us up. When we are faithless, he comes through every single time. We do not have a God who is a puppet master sitting in heaven. We have a God of love who offered himself in Christ Jesus to die in our place." [01:06:24](

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5. "The way that we gain access to that love is not by God or beating ourselves up over our past. It is by receiving the love of God through faith. It is taking the gospel, the message that Jesus loves you." [01:07:00](

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