Embracing Love: The Heart of Discipleship

Devotional

Day 1: The Longing for Love and Relationship

Every individual has a deep-seated desire to be known and loved, a desire that is meant to be fulfilled in a relationship with God. This longing is a fundamental part of being a disciple of Jesus. However, if early relationships fail to meet our needs for love and security, this longing can become distorted and misdirected, leading to harmful relationships or addictive behaviors. ([12:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEhKNyHjBq0&t=750s))

Psalm 139:1-3 - "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways."

Reflection: Reflect on your own longing to be known and loved. How has this longing been fulfilled or distorted in your life? What steps can you take today to seek fulfillment in a relationship with God?

Day 2: The Inclusive Gospel

The gospel is radically inclusive, and God's intention is for all people to be invited and included in the Kingdom of God. This was a secret that was hidden until Jesus Christ came, and it is through the church that the manifold wisdom of God is made known to the rulers and authorities in the Heavenly Realms. ([24:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEhKNyHjBq0&t=1455s))

Ephesians 3:6 - "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus."

Reflection: How can you contribute to the inclusivity of the gospel in your daily life? Can you think of one specific action you can take today to invite someone into the Kingdom of God?

Day 3: The Importance of Not Judging Others

We often don't know the stories and struggles that people carry. It is important not to judge others, as illustrated by a personal anecdote about a child who consistently displayed disruptive behavior due to a difficult home life. ([36:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEhKNyHjBq0&t=2160s))

James 4:12 - "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?"

Reflection: Reflect on a recent situation where you may have judged someone without knowing their full story. How can you approach similar situations with more understanding and less judgment in the future?

Day 4: Love as the Mark of Discipleship

Love is how the world will know that we are disciples of Christ. Love can feel messy and confusing, but we are encouraged to seek the definition of love based on what we have learned from Jesus. ([48:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEhKNyHjBq0&t=2885s))

John 13:35 - "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Reflection: How can you demonstrate love to those around you today in a way that reflects your discipleship to Christ? Can you think of a specific person or situation where you can show this love?

Day 5: The Patience and Understanding of Jesus' Love

Jesus' love is patient and understanding, even in our darkest moments. This is illustrated by the testimony of a woman named Ann Lont, who lived a colorful and troubled life. Despite her resistance and fear of what others would think, Ann felt Jesus watching her with patience and love. ([59:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEhKNyHjBq0&t=3555s))

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 - "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt the patience and understanding of Jesus' love. How can you extend this same patience and understanding to others in your life today?

Sermon Summary

The sermon series "Disciple Shift" focuses on reorienting followers of Jesus to not only believe in Him but also to understand what it means to follow Him and become like Him in love and life. The pastor emphasizes the command given by Jesus in Matthew 28 to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The pastor clarifies that the command is not just to make believers or church members, but to make disciples of Jesus who are learners of His life and love. The most foundational part of being a disciple, according to the pastor, is the longing to be known and loved, which only Jesus can fulfill.

The pastor discusses the innate desire within every person to be known and loved, a desire that stems from the fact that we are created in the image of God. This longing for love is deeply relational and is meant to be fulfilled in a relationship with God. However, before encountering Jesus, this longing is often shaped and influenced by our early relationships, particularly with our caregivers and parents. If these relationships fail to meet our needs for love and security, our longing for love can become distorted and misdirected. The pastor highlights that many people end up seeking to fulfill this longing outside of themselves, in harmful relationships or addictive behaviors such as pornography, extramarital affairs, or substance abuse.

The pastor emphasizes the deep love of Christ and the importance of knowing and experiencing this love. The pastor highlights the significance of understanding the reason behind Paul's words in the passage. The reason is revealed in the previous verses, where Paul explains the mystery that through the gospel, the Gentiles are now included as heirs and members of the body of Christ alongside Israel. This was a secret that was hidden until Jesus Christ came. The pastor emphasizes that the gospel is radically inclusive, and God's intention is for all people to be invited and included in the Kingdom of God.

The pastor shares a personal anecdote about a child on their kid's sports team who consistently displayed disruptive behavior. Initially, the pastor's reaction was to judge and criticize the child, but later they learned that the child's home life was extremely difficult. This humbling experience serves as a reminder that we often don't know the stories and struggles that people carry, emphasizing the importance of not judging others. The pastor concludes by quoting Bob Goff, who suggests that fear of the unknown often prevents us from loving our neighbors, but the greater fear should be the consequences of not loving them.

The pastor concludes the sermon by emphasizing the importance of loving one another as Jesus commanded, stating that love is how the world will know that we are disciples of Christ. The pastor acknowledges that love can feel messy and confusing, but encourages the congregation to seek the definition of love based on what they have learned in the sermon. The pastor also shares the testimony of a woman named Ann Lont, who lived a colorful and troubled life. Despite her resistance and fear of what others would think, Ann felt Jesus watching her with patience and love. In the days that followed, she felt his presence like a cat following her, but she tried to push it away.

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Sermon Clips

"The deepest longing of your soul, the deepest longing of my soul and every single human being is a longing is the deepest longing is not to be whole or even good but to be known and to be loved."

"Paul's prayer is still for you too, that you would grow in the knowledge of the love of Christ, a love that you can never fully know, and ultimately that propels us to love others well because that is what Jesus commanded."

"Every single man, woman, and child is born with this desire to be wholly known and wholly loved, not because we are worthy or not because we are good, but simply because we are."

"When we are not met in that, when we don't feel safe and secure, when we don't feel attuned to, when our needs are not met and our need to be loved, that longing is malformed, it is underdeveloped, it is misdirected, it's distorted."

"Every man or woman who turns to pornography, every man or woman who is having an extramarital affair, every man or woman who turns to alcohol to numb the pain, ultimately is longing for the God who knows and loves you regardless."

"What does it mean to follow him, to learn at his feet, to become like him in love and in his life, and ultimately how we draw others into following, how we go and make disciples?"

"The command in baptism isn't just to make Believers and it's certainly not just to make church members... the command is to go and make disciples of Jesus, and literally the disciple of Jesus is one who is a learner of his life and his love."

"There was a mystery that was kept hidden until Jesus Christ came, and the secret is that the gospel is radically inclusive."

"His intent was that now through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the Heavenly Realms."

"The invitation was come and see...come and meet the one who knows everything you've ever done and loves you. So what does this mean for us? Maybe you're new to the whole following Jesus and you're just here checking it out...my prayer is that you would grow in the knowledge of the love of Christ that you can never fully comprehend."

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