Whenever I hear someone speak
of growing a garden I often reflect on my own attempts to grow a garden. The one thing that has come to my mind is that I have
never grown a garden. I have
planted seed, hoed the weeds, watered the plants, and occasionally reaped a
harvest. In all of this I have
merely tried to create a place where the garden will produce the desired
plants and harvest I want. Attempting
to produce a garden takes a lot of love and care.
But, God does the growing.
It’s the same for any family or church.
We can only with God’s help create an environment that the seeds can
grow. Then we must pray for a
harvest.
A. THE
PLACE OF LOVE...Does Love have a place in your life in your church, in
your world? Making a nest
lined with the Love of God is the goal of every church, house, and person who
seeks to follow the Lord of Love.
Scripture Text:
1Joh 4:11 (NIV) Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to
love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another,
God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 We know that we live
in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have
seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the
world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in
him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have
confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has
to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We
love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God,"
yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his
brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he
has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
1.Love is to be
the "atmosphere" in which the Christian walks:
Live in Love, Live in God:
Eph. 5:1 (KJS) Be ye therefore followers of God, as
dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given
himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.
One
commentator noted that you can tell what a man's relations with God are by
looking at his relations with his fellow men.
If a man is at variance with his fellow men, if he is a quarrelsome,
competitive, argumentative trouble making creature, he may be a diligent
church attender, he may even be a church office-bearer, but he is not a man of
God. If a man is distant from his
fellow man, it is good proof that he is distant from God; if he is divided
from his fellow men, he is divided from God.
2.Love
is to be the "tie that binds the garment" the Christian is to wear:
Col. 3:12
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a
quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye. {quarrel:
or, complaint} 14 And above all these things [put on] charity, which is the
bond of perfectness.
Dolly
Madison, wife of the fourth president of the United States, was one of the
most popular women in American history. Wherever she went, she charmed and
captivated everyone obscure and well-known, rich and poor, men and women
alike.
She
was once asked to explain the secret of her power over others. Surprised by
the question Mrs. Madison exclaimed, "Power over people. I have none. I desire none. I
merely love everyone." And
those who love are richly rewarded by love returned.
3. Love is to be the "universal motive" for all that
we do - 1 Cor. 16:14
Let all your things be done with charity.
A story in
the Sunshine Magazine about a professor of psychology illustrates how
difficult it is to love others. Although he had no children of his own,
whenever he saw a neighbor scolding a child for some wrongdoing, he would say,
"You should love your boy, not punish him."
One hot summer afternoon the professor was doing some repair work on a
concrete driveway leading to his garage.
Tired out after several hours of work, he laid down the towel, wiped
the perspiration from his forehead, and started toward the house.
Just then out of the corner of his eye he saw a mischievous little boy
putting his foot into the fresh cement. He
rushed over, grabbed him, and was about to spank him severely when a neighbor
leaned from a window and said, "Watch it, Professor!
Don't you remember? You
must 'love' the child!" At
this, he yelled back furiously, "I do love him in the abstract but not in
the concre
4. Love is to prevent our Christian liberty from turning into
destructive selfishness - An
attitude of I want my way will destroy the house and home that God is seeking
to build.
Gala 5:13 (KJS) For, brethren,
ye have been called unto liberty; only [use] not liberty for an occasion to
the flesh, but by love serve one another.
5. Love is to characterize our preaching, teaching, and living
of the truth and shining the light!
Eph. 4:15 (KJS) But speaking the
truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even]
Christ:
Love is
Slow
to suspect -- quick to trust.
Slow
to condemn -- quick to justify.
Slow
to offend -- quick to defend.
Slow
to reprimand -- quick to forbear.
Slow
to belittle -- quick to appreciate.
Slow
to demand -- quick to give.
Slow
to provoke -- quick to conciliate.
Slow
to hinder -- quick to help.
Slow
to resent -- quick to forgive
Will you show God and his love to others?