Garrett Bova - Loving Much

Love sets the scoreboard. Jesus ties winning to one thing, not to hustle, not to deals closed or workouts finished, but to love. “They will know you are my disciples by your love,” and the great commandments bind the whole game plan together, love God and love people. The scoreboard lights up when a disciple wills the good of another and reprioritizes the day around the presence of God. Pride, score one for the other team. Gentleness, forgiveness, unseen service, time in God’s presence, point for the kingdom.

The ocean’s current names the drift. Without intentionality, a believer moves down the shore from the point of entry. The Spirit calls for those small steps left, steady re-centering on what actually counts. Luke 7 draws the line in the sand. Simon the Pharisee invites Jesus in, but the woman “loved much.” Forgiven much, she responds with costly affection, tears, touch, and oil. The text exposes the gap between polite invitation and poured-out devotion. Debtors to grace now owe love, not to the flesh but to the Spirit. Gratitude pays back in kind to God and to people.

Luke 10 sharpens the aim. Martha welcomes and serves, but Mary chooses “the one thing necessary.” Presence is the good portion. Service without presence grows anxious and thin. Presence without expression withholds love from neighbors. Jesus refuses the false choice. The Spirit trains discernment for the moment. Is this a feet-of-Jesus moment, or a wash-someone-else’s-feet moment

Love, not fear, fuels the run. The love of Christ compels, urges, controls. Joy set before him carried Jesus to the cross. John 17 opens his heart, love for the Father and love for those the Father gave him. That same love moves a disciple out of the fear of man and into quiet courage, patient kindness, and stubborn forgiveness.

Jesus shows what love looks like in motion. Instead of explaining, he heals in that hour and says, “Go tell what you have seen.” Those works can be followed literally by the Spirit’s power, and at minimum they can be pursued figuratively. Help the blind see God’s vision. Help the lame get unstuck. Give the outcast belonging. Teach ears to hear God. Speak life to the dead. Announce good news to the poor. First John calls this perfected love. Received love completes its circle when expressed love meets a neighbor’s need. The church does not have to guess about the scoreboard. Light it up by loving God and loving people.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Love is the kingdom scoreboard Winning is not busyness or applause. Jesus sets the metric as love for God and neighbor, measured in patience, generosity, forgiveness, and presence. A disciple can be on the team and still post zero if love is absent. Let the end-of-day tally ask one thing, did love lead the way today [04:04]
• 2. Invite Jesus in, then love much Hospitality starts the relationship, but devotion fills the room. Luke 7 contrasts a polite host with a forgiven worshiper who pours herself out because grace has flooded her life. Forgiveness deepens love, and deep love does something costly, concrete, and tender. Let grace received turn into love expressed in real time [16:43]
• 3. Choose presence before pressured activity Serving matters, but presence is the good portion that steadies the hands. Anxiety thins out ministry when communion is neglected, and contemplation that never serves withholds love from neighbors. Discern the moment, then either sit to hear or rise to help, with the Lord setting the pace. The necessary thing calibrates every other thing [20:46]
• 4. Let love, not fear, compel Fear of man drives hiding, hurry, and harshness. The love of Christ compels a different cadence, bold to forgive and steady to bless, because the cross has settled the future and secured access to the Father. Gratitude becomes energy for obedience, not a tax to pay off guilt. Let joy in the gospel become the engine under the hood [26:05]
• 5. Turn received love into expressed mission Jesus answered doubts by doing, then by speaking. His pattern invites disciples to help people see, walk, belong, hear, live, and hope, literally as God gives, and at least figuratively in everyday faithfulness. Love finishes its circle when it moves from God’s heart into a neighbor’s good. Let action preach what the mouth later explains [28:48]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:45] - Prayer and open hands to receive
• [01:12] - Are you winning or losing
• [03:46] - The kingdom scoreboard is love
• [05:14] - Known by love, not achievements
• [06:28] - Daily self-assessment for kingdom points
• [08:49] - Forgiveness over retaliation in conflict
• [10:16] - Love as evangelism in everyday life
• [11:13] - Reprioritizing the day around presence
• [12:37] - The ocean current and drift
• [16:43] - She loved much in Luke 7
• [20:46] - Mary and Martha’s necessary portion
• [23:18] - Love, not fear, as motivation
• [28:48] - Show and tell like Jesus
• [32:16] - Perfected love and final charge

1. In Luke 7:36-47, what specific actions did the woman perform for Jesus, and how did they contrast with Simon the Pharisee’s actions?
2. What did Jesus identify as “the one thing necessary” in Luke 10:42, and how did Mary and Martha’s choices differ?
3. According to the sermon, what are examples of “kingdom points” that light up the scoreboard? [06:28]
4. How does 1 John 4:12 connect the idea of God’s love being “perfected” in us to our actions toward others?

1. Why did Jesus emphasize that the woman in Luke 7 “loved much” in contrast to Simon’s hospitality? What does this reveal about the relationship between forgiveness and love?
2. Jesus refused the false choice between Mary’s “presence” and Martha’s “service” in Luke 10. How might both actions reflect love for God and others in different contexts?
3. The sermon mentions that “service without presence grows anxious and thin” [20:46]. Why might neglecting time with God lead to ineffective or joyless service?
4. How does the metaphor of an ocean current (drift) illustrate the need for intentionality in loving God and others? [12:37]

1. At the end of the day, how could you practically assess whether “love led the way” in your interactions, decisions, or priorities? [06:28]
2. Describe a recent situation where you felt torn between “sitting at Jesus’ feet” (prayer, reflection) and “washing feet” (serving others). How did you respond, and what would you do differently next time?
3. The sermon warns against letting fear drive “hiding, hurry, or harshness” [26:05]. What is one area of your life where fear (of failure, rejection, etc.) might be overshadowing love as your motivation?
4. The woman in Luke 7 expressed love through costly, tangible acts (tears, oil, touch). What is one “costly” but practical way you could demonstrate love to someone this week?
5. How might you “help the lame walk” or “help the blind see” figuratively in your relationships (e.g., encouraging someone stuck, helping others discern God’s vision)? [30:59]
6. The sermon challenges believers to “turn received love into expressed mission” [28:48]. What is one unmet need in your community where you could actively reflect God’s love this month?