God's Good Law | Pastor Joel King

``Okay? Now here's what's really important. We've got to put it all together. See, in the in American fashion, in western fashion, in modern fashion, you wanna take each word and kinda create a list. That's not what what what it's basically saying is I don't wanna leave anything out. You take it all together. It's it's not three separate compartments. It's whole. So it means to love God with the totality of your being. Everything together. You don't get to piece mail it. You don't you don't get to the buffet. I'm gonna give God this one and not this one. And right? It's not a checklist. It's with all your inner life. It's with all your living self. It's with all your capacity and resources. [00:09:52] (42 seconds)  #LoveGodWholeheartedly

Now, I wanna I wanna be clear here. Biblical love for others is not tolerance. At least today's tolerance. Tolerance meaning, you know, if it's if if that's what you wanna do, that's fine. It's like telling a five year old, if you wanna run out in the street, what's your life? And if a parent did that, you would say, they don't love their child. Yet, we have a world of folks that believe things that are destroying them, and we're like, oh, it's their life. See how loving I am? I don't judge anyone. But biblical love includes godly love includes honesty. It includes accountability and calling people toward what is good and true. Now, you do this with humbleness. The bible actually says when you see someone to restore them, it says restore them gently in humility. [00:28:10] (52 seconds)  #LoveWithTruth

Now, to love others practically means to actively seek the good of another person even especially when it costs you because they bear God's image just like you. They have worth. Now now Jesus assumes something. You already care about yourself is his assumption. It doesn't necessarily mean you have high self esteem, but you feed yourself, you protect yourself, you advocate for yourself. That's his assumption. So he says, extend that same energy toward others. Listen to others the way you wanna be heard. Forgive others in the way that you wanna be forgiven. You know? It's all it's often said we want justice for others and grace for ourselves. You give grace the way you want grace, not perfectly, but intentionally. [00:25:33] (47 seconds)  #GoldenRuleLiving

You love God with what you do and what you have. You use your gifts to serve others, not just to advance yourself. I'm not saying it's bad to use your gifts and your job or want to advance yourself, but you but more broadly, more into the center, it's how can I serve and use my gifts to help others? You budget with God in mind. You you rest and you work in ways that honor God. Not just what do I do with Sunday morning. Not just what I do with my Bible study time, but my Netflix time, my downtime, my when my boss is off today time. [00:19:20] (41 seconds)  #FaithEverydayLife

Do you love others? Do you love others? And I can guarantee you this. This has nothing to do with the way you vote or the great things that you post on social media. K? There's there's people who who who love others that vote opposite of you, and there's people that are really love others that nobody knows about it because it never shows up on social media. But once we experience God's love, it must for us for those if you love God, it must become outward. You can't do one without the other. We are not reservoirs meant to store love. We are channels meant to release love. [00:24:24] (43 seconds)  #LoveBeyondLikes

This means that we should allow God to reshape our desires and our priorities. We don't just do them. We just don't kinda kinda do our lives with a little Christianese added in. It's completely reorientated. And we repent. Repent means to go in a different direction. We repent when we find that our loves the other things that we love have brought disorder or dishonor to God. And sometimes, by the way, those loves seem to be good things, but we put them above God. It could be something as beautiful and wonderful as your kids or your spouse or could be some good things, but just misprioritized. God doesn't isn't just part of our life. He becomes the center. [00:17:34] (47 seconds)  #GodAtTheCenter

Right? And what we know about his kind of love is is Jesus says what? To pray and forgive your enemies. That does not come natural easily if it comes at all. Love comes where it sacrifices comfort. That's mainly what we're seeking. That's all that we all want is comfort. I know that's true of me. A love that lays down its life, lays down its rights. Its rights like Jesus did. Jesus uses the word, the Greek word agape, and this describes a self giving, unselfish love that human beings are not capable of on their own, period. Full stop. Full stop. [00:31:11] (53 seconds)  #AgapeInAction

And so, again, do you love God? Here's the summary. Here's the ultimate thing. God is not just part of your life. God becomes the point of your life. Now, if we're if we're honest, this is not the Christianity we know today. The Christianity knows we know today is that God is part of my life, and I go to church on Sunday morning. That's part of him being my life. I might even do bible study. I might even do some spiritual disciplines, but it's part of my life. It's not the point of my life. But to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength, if you really love God, he more and more becomes the very point of your life. [00:22:51] (44 seconds)  #GodAsCenter