Rekindling Love: Embracing God, Neighbors, and the Holy Spirit

Devotional

Day 1: Cultivating Genuine Love for God and Others

Loving God and our neighbors is the essence of our faith. It's not about following rules but about cultivating a genuine relationship with God and others. If we find ourselves distant from this love, it's time to refocus and rekindle that passion for God. [00:57]

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart." (Deuteronomy 6:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: Identify one way you can intentionally express love to God and a neighbor today. How can you make this a regular practice in your life?

Day 2: Engaging with the Needy

The sin of Sodom was being arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned for the needy. We must not become complacent or self-centered but actively engage in helping those in need, reflecting God's love through our actions. [02:36]

"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?" (Isaiah 58:6-7, ESV)

Reflection: Consider a specific way you can help someone in need this week. What steps will you take to ensure this becomes a consistent part of your life?

Day 3: Understanding the Person of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a person, not just a power. He has a mind, emotions, and a will, and He intercedes for us according to God's desires. Our relationship with Him should be one of reverence and submission. [25:19]

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice." (Ephesians 4:30-31, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on your current relationship with the Holy Spirit. How can you cultivate a deeper sense of reverence and submission to His guidance today?

Day 4: Embracing Repentance and Renewal

Repentance is crucial when we have belittled God or treated Him as a mere force. God offers forgiveness and cleansing when we come to Him with a contrite heart, inviting us to renew our commitment to follow Him wholeheartedly. [48:20]

"Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus." (Acts 3:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you need to seek God's forgiveness? What steps will you take to renew your commitment to Him today?

Day 5: Living Out Love Through Service

Our church community is actively involved in serving others, both locally and globally. This commitment to helping those in need is a testament to living out the command to love our neighbors and reflects the heart of true religion. [06:25]

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." (James 1:27, ESV)

Reflection: How can you contribute to your church's mission of serving others? Identify one specific action you can take to support a ministry or mission this month.

Sermon Summary

In today's reflection, we revisited the foundational commands of our faith: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. These commands are not just rules to follow but are the essence of our relationship with God and others. It's crucial to examine whether our relationship with God is one of genuine love, where we eagerly seek His presence and guidance throughout our day. If we find ourselves distant from this love, it's time to refocus and rekindle that passion for God.

We also explored the importance of being concerned for the poor and needy, drawing from Ezekiel 16:49, which highlights the sin of Sodom as being arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned for the needy. This serves as a reminder to not become complacent or self-centered but to actively engage in helping those in need. Our church community has been exemplary in this regard, with many members involved in various ministries and missions, both locally and globally. This commitment to serving others is a testament to living out the command to love our neighbors.

Furthermore, we delved into the nature of the Holy Spirit, emphasizing that He is a person, not just a power to be harnessed. The Holy Spirit has a mind, emotions, and a will, and He intercedes for us according to God's desires. This understanding challenges us to view the Holy Spirit not as a tool for our benefit but as a guide and a person to be followed. Our relationship with the Holy Spirit should be one of reverence and submission, allowing Him to lead us in truth and righteousness.

Finally, we acknowledged the need for repentance and the importance of confessing when we have belittled God or treated Him as a mere force. God, in His grace, offers forgiveness and cleansing when we come to Him with a contrite heart. This is an invitation to renew our commitment to follow Him wholeheartedly and to live in a way that honors His presence in our lives.

Key Takeaways

1. Loving God and our neighbors is the essence of our faith. It's not about following rules but about cultivating a genuine relationship with God and others. If we find ourselves distant from this love, it's time to refocus and rekindle that passion for God. [00:57]
2. The sin of Sodom was being arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned for the needy. We must not become complacent or self-centered but actively engage in helping those in need, reflecting God's love through our actions. [02:36]
3. The Holy Spirit is a person, not just a power. He has a mind, emotions, and a will, and He intercedes for us according to God's desires. Our relationship with Him should be one of reverence and submission. [25:19]
4. Repentance is crucial when we have belittled God or treated Him as a mere force. God offers forgiveness and cleansing when we come to Him with a contrite heart, inviting us to renew our commitment to follow Him wholeheartedly. [48:20]
5. Our church community is actively involved in serving others, both locally and globally. This commitment to helping those in need is a testament to living out the command to love our neighbors and reflects the heart of true religion. [06:25]
** [06:25]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:17] - The Greatest Commandments
[01:11] - Are You in Love with God?
[02:36] - Remembering the Poor and Needy
[03:27] - The Sin of Sodom
[05:05] - Church's Global Impact
[07:05] - Supporting Missionaries
[09:25] - Monthly Ministry Support
[10:15] - Financial Commitment and Trust
[12:03] - Responding to Global Needs
[14:19] - Financial Shortfall and Faith
[16:17] - God's Provision and Generosity
[18:29] - Understanding the Holy Spirit
[21:20] - The Mystery of God
[25:19] - The Holy Spirit as a Person
[32:29] - Emotions of the Holy Spirit
[38:19] - The Will of the Holy Spirit
[42:31] - Following the Holy Spirit
[46:17] - Invitation to Baptism
[49:40] - Closing Prayer and Reflection

Sermon Clips

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength and he says and the second is love your neighbor as yourself he goes you can sum up all the law all the prophets sum up that book with these two commands so if you're not doing that just just forget about everything else. [00:30:19]

I got to ask you are you in love with God this morning you know I I mean really think this through I I'm not asking if you believe in him I'm not asking if you're trying to obey command I'm asking you are you in love with him could you honestly describe your relationship with God as as love. [00:50:44]

This one verse that that always gets to me um that that keeps me focused it's in Ezekiel I'm going to put it up in the screen uh Ezekiel 16:49 says now this was the sin of your sister Sodom she and her daughters were arrogant overfed and unconcerned they did not help the poor and needy. [00:158:80]

I want to constantly be loving people loving my neighbor as myself and it's so encour encouraging because I hear about so many things that you guys are doing in different places I'm getting emails from different ones of you or people who actually just come in contact with someone at Cornerstone and talk about the ministry that you're doing. [04:94:24]

The Holy Spirit is a person and not just a power understand that this is very important I cringe when people when referring to the Holy Spirit say it um John chapter 14 when Jesus was describing the coming of the Holy Spirit he says this and I will ask the father and he will give you another helper. [25:14:03]

When we speak of the Holy Spirit let's remember that he is a person not an it not a power and that may sound um trivial to some of you or you may just well that's just semantic no no no it goes much deeper than this this is this is very huge because when we use the term it it it it changes the Holy Spirit. [26:57:48]

The Holy Spirit is a person it says in Romans 8: 27 it says and he who searches the heart knows what the mind of the spirit is because he intercedes for the Saints according to the will of God I love this verse okay talking about he who searches the hearts that's God the Father him he knows what the mind the mind of the spirit. [28:99:00]

The Holy Spirit actually prays to the father for us and that that comforted me so much this week because aren't there times when you don't know how to pray for yourself and and I love the phrases as he intercedes for us according to the will of God according to the desires of God because often when I pray I pray according to the will of Francis. [29:54:55]

The Holy Spirit he thinks and and he knows what's going on in my life and he knows what God would want in my life and he is interceding with me for me as I pray for myself and and so he has has his own mind don't treat him as an it that you use he's praying for you he's thinking through your life. [31:04:48]

The Holy Spirit has a will for Cornerstone Church but so do you there are certain things you would love us to do a certain direction you think that we ought to go and where we ought to meet and how we ought to do it I have a will and things I want want to do every leader has a will of what and and what we're trying so hard to do. [40:43:59]

The Bible says when you do that when you repent and you are baptized the Bible says you receive the holy spirit of God that's when he himself comes into you and then he becomes your guide he becomes your master he directs you and we talked about that a couple weeks ago and that weekend we had 61 people baptized. [45:17:59]

As I'm speaking you've probably realized that there have been times when you've belittled God and you haven't given him the reverence he deserves and there have been times when you just try to use him like a like a force that you harness and a power it's like let me use you for my benefit rather than seeing him as a person. [48:09:20]

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