May 9, 2021
Sunday AM
Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
The greatest thing you can do in this life is love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and might. People usually build their lives on natural things and not spiritual things. We are taught to do that in society. We build our lives on careers and the things we possess. It is not wrong to work hard. But the reality is that we get all those things, and we are still empty. There’s a reason the Bible calls it “the deceitfulness of riches.” It tricks you into believing it will give you happiness, fulfillment, and security. Of course, you feel more secure when you have an overflowing bank account, but millions can’t heal you or cure your diseases. It can’t fix your marriage. It takes the love of God to do that. So, the number one thing you can do in life is be a person who loves God with all your heart, soul, mind, and might. Build your life on prayer. A person who prays will have things in their life that a person who don’t pray won’t have access to. A person who prays will be effective with dealing with problems in life. We all have challenges in life whether you’re christian or not. But if you are a person who prays, you are equipped to face these challenges head on.
John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Without a prayer life, you won’t have the strength, faith, or life to fight the enemy. You will be ineffective. But if you’ll pray the life that is in the vine will flow into you. It will flow into you and when you speak it will be with authority, life & unction. You won’t rule and reign in life if you don’t build your life on prayer. Get up every morning and plug into the true vine. There are many vines you can plug into. Only God is the true vine. Do you want to bear much fruit? The fruit is love, peace, joy, and so on! Could you use any of that? Well, abide in Him and you’ll bring forth MUCH fruit. If you aren’t producing these things, it’s because you aren’t building your life on the right things! Without prayer you are powerless. You have a form of godliness, but no power. God wants every one of His children to carry His power. He doesn’t like it when the enemy runs over ANY of His children. God has given us what we need so that does not take place! But you won’t be able to enjoy it if you don’t build your life on prayer.
Prayer feels difficult because of our flesh and preoccupation on things that don’t really matter. Do you want to know how to measure your love for God? By your prayer life. If you’re a person who only prays in the midst of trouble, you don’t love God with all your heart.
1. God
2. Neighbor
3. Yourself
This is the divine order of love. Many people have this backwards. If you have yourself as number one, you will have problems in life. Most of us don’t recognize it when were up there. You must come to the realization that you are not at the center of the galaxy. When you’re at the center of everything you are walking in pride and selfishness. When you start pursuing the love of God, you will start to love others like you never have before. It’s impossible to love God and not love people. This includes ALL people. Some people are easy to love. Every person has particular types of personalities that are hard to love. There are people you typically avoid and try not to think about. But when you start loving God, and His love comes into you, there will be a change in you. It will start affecting how you see, think, and feel about all people. We must strive to love people like He does. Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t have favorites? If you get His love working in you, you won’t either. You will start thinking of yourself less, and other people more.
Genesis 2:10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.
Picture a tree with four limbs on it. These four limbs are:
1. Prayer
2. Word
3. Fasting
4. Worship
God gave us these things to help us develop and become the kind of person that can receive and give His love. If you dismiss worship and put it off, it will cost you a lot of time. It should be taken very seriously. God doesn’t like distant relatives. You can be a relative but not know that person because you don’t fellowship with them. God does not want to wait until you get to heaven for you to get to know Him. Until you get to know Him you will struggle with faith, healing, and everything He has promised through redemption. It’s not that He loves you more or less based on what you do or don’t do. His love was maxed out at the cross. Based on what you do or don’t do, you receive more of His love or you don’t.
These are the needs of every child. And how well these needs are met affects how you receive and give love as adults. It is hard to give what you have never received.
1. Acceptance – The need to be loved for who you are
2. Affirmation – When someone tells you verbally that you are loved and you have value
3. Affection – closeness or physical touch
4. Appreciation – having the things you do be met with gratitude
5. Encouragement – knowing someone is on your side and cheering for you
6. Respect – knowing you are valued as a person of worth
7. Security – stability and protection
8. Support – knowing that there is someone you can turn to, no matter what
9. Attention – having someone that is interested in you and what you do
10. Comfort – having someone to listen and be with you when you are hurting
If you are lacking in any of these areas from your childhood, God can heal all time that was lost. God’s love can change every bit of it! You can be a person who gives love and receives love. Don’t sit around for the rest of your life and blame mom and dad. God’s love can change it all!
Revelation 4:10-11 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
11 “You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.”
We were created for God’s pleasure! What does the Almighty God want from us? What is it about you that gives Him pleasure? He created us so that we could give Him something He wanted! The self-sustaining, forever God who created everything, looks at you and wants you. That is hard to grasp when you haven’t experienced love. He wants to be with you! He wants to spend time with you! He wants to share Himself with you! He wants to make your life better! He wants to lift you out of everything that has ever held you in bondage and brought you a bad day! You and God can take on anything. He wants your fellowship! He doesn’t like you being a distant relative! He wants you to know Him person to person. He wants you to hear His voice. We are breathing air because we give God pleasure by giving Him our time.