Humility and Love: Living in God's Kingdom

Devotional

Day 1: Humility as the Path to True Love

Love requires humility, which allows us to step aside and let God exalt us in His time. Humility is essential because it helps us understand that love is not about self-exaltation but about glorifying God through our actions. By embracing humility, we can avoid legalistic interpretations of Jesus' teachings and focus on the true essence of love. This understanding helps us to act in ways that honor God and reflect His love to others. Humility enables us to recognize that our worth is not determined by our achievements or status but by our relationship with God. [00:25]

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you struggle with humility, and how can you invite God to help you grow in this area today?

Day 2: Discernment in Love's Limitations

Love requires discernment and responsible judgment. It is self-limiting because it considers the well-being of everyone involved, including oneself. Love is not about doing whatever others want but about doing what is genuinely good for them. This discernment helps us navigate complex situations where the right course of action may not be immediately clear. By seeking God's wisdom, we can make decisions that reflect His love and truth, even when it means setting boundaries or saying no. [03:59]

"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ." (Philippians 1:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you had to set a boundary in love. How did you discern what was genuinely good for everyone involved?

Day 3: Understanding Jesus' Contextual Teachings

Jesus' teachings often challenge societal norms and expectations. Understanding the context and the generalizations He dismisses is crucial for grasping the true nature of His message. For instance, when He speaks of the poor being blessed, He is not glorifying poverty but highlighting the availability of God's kingdom to all, regardless of their circumstances. Similarly, His teachings on non-resistance to evil are not about passivity but about understanding the deeper context of love and justice. By studying the context of Jesus' teachings, we can better understand His call to love and justice in our own lives. [06:25]

"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." (John 7:24, ESV)

Reflection: How can you apply a deeper understanding of context to a specific teaching of Jesus that you find challenging or confusing?

Day 4: Living in the Kingdom of God

Love is about living in the kingdom of God, where we are empowered to act in truth and love. This involves a deep connection with God, where His love flows through us to others, creating a community of love. By living in this reality, we can make responsible judgments and act in ways that reflect God's love and truth. This kingdom living is not about fulfilling every demand but about seeking the greater good and trusting in God's presence and guidance. [44:13]

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17, ESV)

Reflection: What is one practical way you can embody the values of God's kingdom in your daily interactions this week?

Day 5: Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

By living in the reality of God's love, we can cast out fear and make responsible judgments. Trusting in God's presence and guidance allows us to act in ways that reflect His love and truth. This perfect love empowers us to confront challenges, such as violence or injustice, with courage and wisdom. As we grow in our understanding of God's love, we can experience freedom from fear and live boldly in His truth. [35:55]

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." (1 John 4:18, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a fear that is holding you back from fully embracing God's love. How can you invite His perfect love to cast out that fear today?

Sermon Summary

Love, as a central theme of life, requires humility, which allows us to step aside and let God exalt us in His time. Humility is essential because it helps us understand that love is not about self-exaltation but about glorifying God through our actions. Love is not limitless; it requires discernment and responsible judgment. This discernment helps us avoid legalistic interpretations of Jesus' teachings, which can lead to misunderstandings about love's true nature. Love is self-limiting because it considers the well-being of everyone involved, including oneself. It is not about doing whatever others want but about doing what is genuinely good for them.

Jesus' teachings often challenge societal norms and expectations, urging us to understand the context and the generalizations He dismisses. For instance, when He speaks of the poor being blessed, He is not glorifying poverty but highlighting the availability of God's kingdom to all, regardless of their circumstances. Similarly, His teachings on non-resistance to evil are not about passivity but about understanding the deeper context of love and justice.

To love effectively, we must recognize our limitations and the communal context in which we live. This involves making judgments in humility, relying on God, and understanding that love is not about fulfilling every demand but about seeking the greater good. This perspective allows us to act in love, even in challenging situations, such as confronting violence or injustice.

Ultimately, love is about living in the kingdom of God, where we are empowered to act in truth and love. It involves a deep connection with God, where His love flows through us to others, creating a community of love. This love casts out fear, as we trust in God's presence and guidance. By living in this reality, we can make responsible judgments and act in ways that reflect God's love and truth.

Key Takeaways

1. exaltation but about glorifying God through our actions. This understanding helps us avoid legalistic interpretations of Jesus' teachings. [00:25]
2. Self-Limiting Love: Love requires discernment and responsible judgment. It is self-limiting because it considers the well-being of everyone involved, including oneself. Love is not about doing whatever others want but about doing what is genuinely good for them.

3. Contextual Understanding of Jesus' Teachings: Jesus' teachings often challenge societal norms and expectations. Understanding the context and the generalizations He dismisses is crucial for grasping the true nature of His message.

4. Living in the Kingdom of God: Love is about living in the kingdom of God, where we are empowered to act in truth and love. This involves a deep connection with God, where His love flows through us to others, creating a community of love.

5. Perfect Love Casts Out Fear: By living in the reality of God's love, we can cast out fear and make responsible judgments. Trusting in God's presence and guidance allows us to act in ways that reflect His love and truth.

** [00:25]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:25] - Humility and Love
[01:15] - Exaltation in God's Time
[02:24] - The Limits of Love
[03:59] - Responsible Judgment
[06:25] - Contextual Teachings of Jesus
[09:57] - Misinterpretations of the Law
[13:28] - Humility and Exaltation
[15:39] - Boundaries in Love
[19:40] - Love and Judgment
[21:09] - Resurrection Life and Love
[35:55] - Perfect Love and Fear
[44:13] - Living in the Kingdom of God
[47:02] - Abiding in His Word
[53:56] - God's Purpose for Our Lives

Sermon Clips

Humility is absolutely essential to love because humility is what enables you to get yourself out of the way and then actually that allows yourself to come back in because love does not lead you out leave you out wonderful person force Peter 5 submit yourselves under the mighty hand of God. [00:00:27]

Love is self-limiting because you are a finite creature in a communal context so when you love one person that does not mean you do not love others and that you do not love yourself but you have to be responsible for judging and I want to really drive this point home to you. [00:03:47]

Jesus teaches contextually in a context and who want to understand what he's talking about you have to understand the generalization that he is dismissing you have to understand what is the generalization that he is dismissing so when he is saying when he says blessed are the poor what is the generalization. [00:06:23]

The blessing is not in the condition it's in the kingdom and the point is the Beatitudes are proclamation of the gospel they are simply indications that blessing is available to anyone in any condition in the kingdom of God and of course Luke gives you the woe B's doesn't he. [00:08:34]

You have to understand how he teaches in order to understand what he teaches and if you don't do that legalism again will run rampant over you because you will see what he's saying as laws a very common misreading especially of the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the plane. [00:10:46]

Love is something that takes into consideration everything that at issue in the context and you don't become obsessed with the legalism about this person because your action affects other persons and especially it affects you now some of you I know are psychologically sophisticated and you know something about boundaries. [00:15:31]

You have to be able to take care of everyone involved as much as you can and that involves you and it's very important to take care of yourself because if you ruin yourself you can't help anybody you wind up a basket case of one sort or another so being able to love others your neighbors and so on. [00:16:34]

Perfect love casts out fear how does that work well you have to see love in this context of life and light and power you understand that it is not just a little thing of willpower you take love into your life from God God loves us and we the second move we love God. [00:35:55]

By living in the reality of God's love, we can cast out fear and make responsible judgments. Trusting in God's presence and guidance allows us to act in ways that reflect His love and truth. This perspective allows us to act in love, even in challenging situations, such as confronting violence or injustice. [00:36:00]

Love is about living in the kingdom of God, where we are empowered to act in truth and love. This involves a deep connection with God, where His love flows through us to others, creating a community of love. This love casts out fear, as we trust in God's presence and guidance. [00:44:13]

If you abide in my word then you are my students indeed my apprentices my disciples that's how you be a disciple but it's referring to putting his words into practice how do you abide in his word put it into practice and that's the path of the disciple you abide in his word. [00:47:02]

God's purpose for all of us is that we should grow to the point to where he can entrust us with the power to do what we want I didn't make a mistake on the pronoun and you might say well the power to do what he wants that's the exactly the point but it's not just what he wants. [00:53:56]

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