Made in God's Image: Reflecting Love, Forgiveness, Faithfulness

Is that just words we talk, or is that really feeling that we are forgiven people? Imagine this. Take a moment. Let's close our eyes. Pretend each and every one of us were hanging on the cross, And you had thorns, a crown of thorns you ran in your head that it was so severe. And then you had nails driven through your hands and your feet, and you had soldiers just poking you in the side. And Christ says this, in Luke twenty two thirty four, this is what Jesus had said, follow, forgive them, for they do not know what you're doing. Is that true, true forgiveness? [00:19:13] (74 seconds)  #TrueForgiveness

But regardless, the message is clear. We must love one another. First John four seven and eight. Be loved, let us love one another for love is from God. And whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. To love like Jesus means to practice sacrificial, unconditional love. And, you know, at times, unconditional love, we have to give when we may say no. [00:07:51] (49 seconds)  #LoveLikeJesus

For us. God is so good to us, and then we need to thank him. We need to praise him. We need to worship him. But more importantly, we need to love him. Matthew twenty two thirty seven through, 39. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment. And the second is this, love your neighbor as yourself. God's one excuse me. God's love runs deep. He knows the struggles that we face each and every day. [00:10:10] (53 seconds)  #LoveGodLoveNeighbor

So as we get the definition of command, we see it as a charge or directive, a gracious provision of God's law and religious instruction. This is not a request. It is a must. At times, it may seem impossible to love someone, but we must learn to see that person through god's eyes, not just the house, but god's eyes. Everybody has worth. No. We might not agree with that views or their actions, but we must still love them as god loves us. [00:09:01] (66 seconds)  #LoveThroughGodsEyes

First John four nineteen tells us this, we love because he loved us first. Love starts with God. He initiates. His love fills us when the Holy Spirit comes in to live in us when we trust in him. Filled with his love, we become motivated and energized and want to share with others. Everything we give flows for we do not achieve the importance he has already given us. [00:06:52] (34 seconds)  #LoveStartsWithGod

The image of God describes I am myself, not just one part of it. We will never be able to be like god because he is the supreme creator, but we do have the ability to reflect his character in our love, patience, forgiveness, kindness, and faithfulness. And I know we have been studying that this in our Sunday school lesson, but y'all and I have been working on this plan for several months. I didn't steal anything from the Sunday school lesson, mister David. [00:03:50] (49 seconds)  #MadeInGodsImage

But, you know, god, he created it, the heavens and the earth for an just think of when we are sitting on the the porch at night, and we're looking at the beautiful sun, the beautiful sunset he gives us each and every day. Oh, if we get up early in the morning, look at the beautiful sunrise that he gives us to add delight and for enjoyment. So let's break down a few things of his characteristics. The first one that I chose is love, and love is defined as a strong affection, desire, and devotion. [00:06:07] (46 seconds)  #CreationRevealsLove

Forgiveness such as love is also command. We'll command to forgive. Elisha's three thirteen, bear with each other and forgive one another if you have a grievance against someone. Forgetting starts by remembering this. God forgive me. Realizing God's infinite love and his forgiveness for us can help us to love and forgive others. Let God worry about the small things that we can suffer. We don't need to worry about the thing. [00:17:55] (50 seconds)  #ForgiveAndLetGo