Author: Jim_Sharp

Philippians 4:6-7 “Overcome Stress with Thanksgiving”

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

This is a fitting verse for us to study enlight of Joe and Erika’s message at Fuel about stress and for us to reflect on our own reasons for having a thankful heart as we approach Thanksgiving. On a personal note, this was my mother’s favorite verse. She often quoted this verse, and when she passed away, I thumbed through her bible and this verse was not only highlighted, but she had written her own notes about this verse. I encourage you to do the same. You are going to find in this life that circumstances are going to have you clinging to God’s word, and certain verses will get you through some tough times.

Let’s start today with the opening statement-  “DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING”. I look back on my life and there are many times I could have used those words on my heart. I have not met anyone who hasn’t gone through trying times in their life. But having a mindset to not be anxious is not in our DNA. Being anxious leads to bad decisions in my experience. Being a “hot mess” is not an attractive character trait, and it steals your joy and the joy of those around you.

Romans 8:37 (Final Post)

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

We finish up Romans 8:37 with the final words – “THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US” There are tons of commentary on the book of Romans and particularly this verse. My own interpretation is this: You and I are going to face many challenges in this life. But despite the problems and the disappointments we may face, we have joy in our hearts that makes us conquerors over those negatives we face, through Christ who loved us. Not our love for Him, but His love for us. 

Romans 8:37 “More than Conquerors”

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

This week we are focusing on a verse we should all take to heart – “we are more than conquerors”. I’m going to break this into three pieces beginning with the first part of the verse – “NO, IN ALL THESE THINGS” What are THESE THINGS? To put in context, we go back to the preceding verses in Romans:

Romans 8:28-30 –   “28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

Digest these words! There’s a lot God is revealing to us through Paul in these verses.

 

1 John 4:7-8 “Go Find Somebody to Love”

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.”

I’m glad it’s Friday! Today we recap this verse and end with the last statement – “BECAUSE GOD IS LOVE.”

Watching the news is depressing… I’m sure most of you would rather take a drill to the head than watch the news on television. I grew up in a time where everyone watched the news, and possibly, as I got older, I felt some kind of responsibility to watch. As I have grown older, and especially in recent years, the local news and network news make me ill. I believe we have a responsibility to be informed, but let’s face it, there’s a lot of hate and a lot of ugliness in the world.

What I briefly shared Wednesday night at Fuel was that I truly care and love each of you. Some of you I know very well, some of you I don’t know well. But regardless, I, like the others in our youth leadership, love you and want the absolute best for you. What I want you to take away from this verse is that LOVE WINS! God is love and we know in the end God wins. In the interim, we need to feel compelled to BRING HEAVEN TO EARTH. Bringing heaven to earth means we have to share God’s love with one another. GO FIND SOMEBODY TO LOVE:

 

1 John 4:7-8

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.”

“WHOEVER DOES NOT LOVE DOES NOT KNOW GOD” This is a strong, profound statement for all of us as Christians. Pray over these words today! I know I have a lot of room for improvement. How do these words reflect your life?

1 John 4:7-8

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.”

Let’s recap what we covered last week – “DEAR FRIENDS, LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER, FOR LOVE COMES FROM GOD.” Our love originates, comes from, God and thus we should love each other.

Today we move forward to the next sentence – “EVERYONE WHO LOVES HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD AND KNOWS GOD.” Not only does love originate from God, but those who love originate from God and know Him. Knowing God is knowing love. And those who know Him are compelled to love others. What do you think? Leave a comment below.

1 John 4:7-8

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Today, and this weekend, let’s focus on these words – “FOR LOVE COMES FROM GOD.”

Think about these words – “Love comes from God”. God is the essence of universal love. You’ve probably heard the term agape love. Agape is a word used to describe the indescribable love God has for you and me. God’s love for us is unconditional, but it is much more. God is pure and holy, so His love is also pure and holy. As a parent, I have a glimpse into this love. I love my children with no conditions, no strings attached, no expectation of reciprocation; I love them regardless. God loves you and me the same, but even more. He is in constant pursuit to love us, and the more we pursue Him, the deeper we are enveloped in His love for us.

Image result for spokes of a wheel

Think of our love for God as spokes on a wheel. God is the hub of the wheel. He is the center of our life. The closer we draw towards Him, the stronger we feel His love. The more we feel His love the stronger our love is for others around us, and the closer we are to the other spokes. If we rebel from God, we are further out on the spoke towards the rim, and less we feel His love for us, and the less we share our love with others. We should stay close to Him and away from the rim.

 

1 John 4:7-8

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

“DEAR FRIENDS, LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER”

Image result for 1 John 4:7-8

Do you know a flawed person? I meet with one every morning in the mirror. What I have learned is that we are all flawed and broken in some way. But when we exchange pleasantries, “How are you?” The answer is often, “I’m good” or “I’m great!” or “I’m doing fine.” We put up a wall that says, “I want you to think I’m good or great,” or “I don’t want to let my guard down with you.” We put up a false front most of the time and so does most everyone else we come in contact with.

But let’s be real with one another. If we are truly going to walk out our Christian faith, we must love one another, and loving one another means we have to be vulnerable. Being vulnerable involves trust, and we don’t openly trust. Why don’t we trust? We fear if we share our struggles it won’t be held in confidence. Love involves respect. If I ask you if there’s something I can pray for you about, I am opening a channel with you of mutual respect and trust. If you choose to respond, I’m going to receive that response in confidence and thus build love through my respect for your willingness to share and my commitment that you can trust me.

“DEAR FRIENDS, LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER”. These can be merely words that sound good and make us feel good, but taking action to love one another can be messy. It makes us vulnerable. It can be risky business to reach out to someone and sincerely ask them if you can pray for them. BUT, I have found that most people will receive your offer with a grateful heart, and you will be blessed by their reception. We need one another! I need you in my life. You are very valuable and important to me! Let’s not just feel good about these words, let’s live them! It starts with a conversation…Below is a classic gospel song I hope you will listen to and it will touch you as it does me:

 

1 John 4:7-8 “Love One Another”

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

We have spent the past several weeks seeing how much God loves us through the verses we’ve learned. The book of 1 John goes into great depth to explain God’s love for us. There are several verses in 1 John that would be great to memorize and put on our heart. Here are a few:

1 John 3:1 – “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

1 John 3:16 – “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

1 John 3:23-24 – “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

Do you see common, recurring messages in these words? We have been made children of God! The world does not know us because the world does not know Him. If we keep God’s commands we live in Him and He in us.

We have studied and now have a glimpse into God’s love for us; His unconditional love for you and me. That should compel us to love one another, and this will be our focus in 1 John 4:7-8. Loving one another means bringing heaven to earth. Listen to Toby Mac Speak Life: