Love & Devotion (14 of 21)

Matthew 11:28-30 (New Living Translation) "Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
-Love & Difficulty Aren't Related

I wish that there was more on my mind about this passage to share with you. But, this is all I've got to say, so here goes...

God's love is so caring that it want's to make life easier for us. He has extended a invitation that's hard to refuse and is in tune with what we seek to have for ourselves. Not once has God made life difficult, our disobedience to God is what makes life difficult. Hear this word of exhortation, love and difficulty aren't related! Don't be fooled by sweet words or superficial actions, because difficulty has no place in love.

In the words of one of my favorite childhood cartoon characters, Porky Pig, "...that's all folks!" Have a great weekend of rest and I'll see you Sunday morning!

Love & Devotion (12 of 21)

Proverbs 16:6 (New Living Translation) "Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin.
By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil."-Knowing When To Bow, So You Can Stand

For many of us, we don't know how or when to back down. Unfortunately, that's a terrible quality to have. It's necessary for us to have the last word, or to get our point across no matter what. We have the tendency to equate bowing with failure. However, it's important to know when to bow, because it will help you stand later.

The fear that's mentioned in Proverbs 16:6, isn't defined as trembling but respect. The believer must respect the Lord, because his unfailing love and faithfulness has atoned us of our sins. Please understand that his love for us isn't license to do as you please. Without question we are free, but we are free to live, move and have our being in Christ alone. When we respect the Lord, there's a sense that we'll do right by him because he's done right by us.

Pay attention to the contrast between sin and evil. They aren't one in the same. God's love forgave us of our sin, which is an act of ignorance and omission. It's possible to stumble into sin and/or be coerced into sin. However, evil is premeditated. Avoid it! James 4:7 supports this admonishment, by telling us to resist the Devil. Resisting the Devil and avoiding evil, begins with our reverence and respect for the Lord. If we bow to God, we can stand against the Devil.

Don't be fooled by the blessings of the Devil. He can give you things and stuff but only God has the hand of blessing! Notice that the Devil has blessings but God has the hand of blessing. Evil shines, glitters and blings in an effort to capture your attention. God's hand of blessing isn't interested in your attention, but he's after your heart. Be encouraged to stand against the Devil, with the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:33 "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

***Tomorrow's verse...Galatians 6:1 'Truth in Love' Tomorrow Pastor Walker will post a special video edition of Love & Devotion!

Love & Devotion (11 of 21)

Proverbs 10:12 (New Living Translation) "Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses."
-Messy Is Never Classy

I think that Proverbs 10:12 is so simple that it doesn't require explaining. Hate is the beginning of fights but love is forgives.

Messy people like to keep up confusion. Chances are, their dysfunction is so normal that it's reasonable to impose it on other people. This serves as a warning for those of you that befriend the messy. You've been warned that you can't stay classy when you hang out with the messy. Those hugs and conversations that you all have are bound to rub off on you.

Love is a simply a class act. Faith and hope have to take a backseat to love (1 Corinthians 13:13). If you're going to be classy, it doesn't imply that you won't make any mistakes. However, it does mean that your mistakes aren't the end of you. Love earns you another chance to get it right. The key is to ensure that you're operating in love and not lust or perversion. Only pure love is worthy of forgiveness.

Let love live! Stay classy and keep the mess and the messy out of your life.

***Tomorrow's verse...Proverbs 16:6 'Knowing When To Bow, So You Can Stand'

Love's Train Sermon Notes...Part 2 of 4

That's The Way Love Is
Hosea 2:2-13 “In that day you will call your brothers Ammi—‘My people.’ And you will call your sisters Ruhamah—‘The ones I love.’ ² “But now bring charges against Israel—your mother—for she is no longer my wife, and I am no longer her husband. Tell her to remove the prostitute’s makeup from her face and the clothing that exposes her breasts. ³ Otherwise, I will strip her as naked as she was on the day she was born. I will leave her to die of thirst, as in a dry and barren wilderness. ⁴ And I will not love her children, for they were conceived in prostitution. ⁵ Their mother is a shameless prostitute and became pregnant in a shameful way. She said, ‘I’ll run after other lovers
and sell myself to them for food and water, for clothing of wool and linen, and for olive oil and drinks.’ ⁶ “For this reason I will fence her in with thornbushes. I will block her path with a wall to make her lose her way. ⁷ When she runs after her lovers, she won’t be able to catch them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will think, ‘I might as well return to my husband, for I was better off with him than I am now.’ ⁸ She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has—the grain, the new wine, the olive oil; I even gave her silver and gold.
But she gave all my gifts to Baal. ⁹ “But now I will take back the ripened grain and new wine
I generously provided each harvest season. I will take away the wool and linen clothing I gave her to cover her nakedness. ¹⁰ I will strip her naked in public, while all her lovers look on. No one will be able to rescue her from my hands. ¹¹ I will put an end to her annual festivals, her new moon celebrations, and her Sabbath days—all her appointed festivals. ¹² I will destroy her grapevines and fig trees, things she claims her lovers gave her. I will let them grow into tangled thickets,
where only wild animals will eat the fruit. ¹³ I will punish her for all those times when she burned incense to her images of Baal, when she put on her earrings and jewels and went out to look for her lovers but forgot all about me,” says the Lord."

Introduction: "Sometimes a man and a woman can have an understanding, that no one understands. Not even their own selves." ~Rachel in Lackawanna Blues

Transition: Love has taken a sharp turn between God and Israel, in Hosea chapter 2. Israel is too busy turning tricks in the street, to notice that God's patience with them had run out...

Exposition: God's love actions, show us the way love is...

1) Love is attentive (verses 2, 4-5, 8, 12-13)

It's important that you notice differences in behavior and appearance. This isn't license to be a detective but to not be so love struck that you're stupid.

2) Love aims to please (verses 8-9)

Healthy relationships involve both give and take. If things are one sided, then the giver needs to consider a major adjustment to the dynamics of the relationship.

3) Love has feelings (verses 6-7, 9-13)

Your emotions make you human. So, don't attempt bottle up what needs to be expressed. Nothing beats a good understanding.

*This week's sound track (follow the links): Love's Train by Con funk shun

                                                                      That's The Way Love Is by Bobby 'Blue' Bland

                                                                      Video clip of Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show

Next Sunday, it's going down!!!

Love & Devotion (9 of 21)

John 3:16 (New Living Translation) "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
-A Death Row Pardon

Here's an incredible thought to start your day, God's love is redemptive! Ok, since that didn't do it for you, let me start from the beginning.

Humanity was created by God and loved by him unconditionally. Man wandered away from God, by falling from grace to disgrace because of our disobedience. We were placed on death row because of our sin, God was so in love with us, that he sent Jesus (the human physicality of divinity) to die in our stead. The suffiency of Jesus' death is sure, but it's effiency depends on if we believe that Jesus can set us free,

So, God's love is redemptive (it snatches us from sin's execution and gives us eternal life)! His love is attentive to our current condition and gives us grace in exchange for our guilt. Don't miss this, we were slaves to sin but now (because we believe in Jesus) we're children of God! We are free from sin and shame, and have the freedom to serve God as a sign of our thanksgiving and love for his merciful acts.

I encourage you to think of how certain our death was, unitl Jesus came to pardon us. As you reflect, repent and use your freedom to be a servant. Since God has done such great things for us, let's do something great for him and tell the world that can't nobody do us like Jesus!

***Tomorrow's verse...Ephesians 4:16 'A Healthy Body'

Love & Devotion (8 of 21)

Acts 2:42 (New Living Translation) "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer."

-Loyally In Love

First, it's Ash Wednesday. Today is the beginning of the season of Lent, which prepares us for the celebration on Easter (the resurrection of Jesus from the dead). I pray that today we will all remember that we're merely sinners, who have been saved by the grace of God. That's the message of Ash Wednesday. May we be intentionally repentant (asking God to forgive our faults) and thoughtfully focused on how to make tomorrow better.

Acts 2:42 is the foundational philosophy of our church. We don't do anything that doe's not embody the five principles that are mentioned. The early church loved Jesus for real, and their love was expressed in the language of the today's passage.

Teaching...The believers remained loyal to the teaching of Jesus after his ascension (departure) back to heaven. Our relationship with God must be developed and his word tells us how to do that. Studying the scriptures is important and living what we've learned from the scriptures is even more important. 1 John 5:3 reminds us that doing what God says is easy, when we love him. Find pleasure in God's word (Psalm 1:2) and watch your relationship with him improve.

Fellowship...What we do on Sunday morning in Café Grace is not a waste of time. As a matter of fact, it's not as unconventional as some may think. Fellowship, if we love God, is a necessary component for people of faith. Fellowship is how we relate with each other. If we're brothers and sisters as the scriptures teach us, then it's important that we get to know each other. Knowing each other, requires us to be non-judgmental and accepting people for where they are. Be loyal to the principle of connecting with believers, to be a spiritual system of support that loves people where they are, in order to lift them to where they belong.

Meals...The emphasis of this principle isn't the food. This was about sharing (to ensure everyone had enough) and communication (easing the tension to talk). There should be no lack of basic needs in our faith community. Not to imply that we're to take care of our brothers and sisters but we should be there in their times of need. Our goal in eating together, is to make it easy to get to know each other. Food is a common denominator, no matter your class, race or culture.

The Lord's Supper...The bread and wine is to remind us that Jesus loved us first. We were hopeless, helpless and homeless but he loved us enough to die for us, so we could gain all those missing elements. We are to celebrate the Lord's Supper, because Jesus told us to. It's a method of connecting with God's grace and disconnecting from our sin and shame.

Prayer...When you're in love, you talk about everything and nothing with your mate. That's how we should be with God. Don't just go to God when you need something from him. Be loyal in your communication with him, and call him up in prayer, just to say thank you and I was thinking about you today. Don't be shy in prayer (Hebrews 4:16), because God wants you to talk to him regularly without restraint.

Our love for God must be expressed in these five loyal principles. Don't back away from them, but live them out daily to show God that you're behaving like you believe them!

God, we thank you for this amazing place known as Grace Corner. Where we preach and practice your word. Help us to be more expressive of our love for you, by being loyal to these principles. In the strong name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

***Tomorrow's verse...John 3:16 'A Death Row Pardon'

Love & Devotion (7 of 21)

1 John 4:19 (New Living Translation) "We love each other because he loved us first."

-Reciprocity

As a kid I had the biggest crush on Stacy Lattisaw (that might be too much information for ya'll, lol!). She sang one of my favorite songs, I Found Love On A Two-Way Street. In the chorus, Stacy says that she lost it on a lonely highway. As I read 1 John 4:19, I thought of her lyrics. Love really is a two-way street, but we often lose it in the busyness and broad roads of life.

The reason that we love God and other people (especially other believers), is because God loved us first. His love for us is the driving force behind our love for him and our brothers and sisters in the faith. God's love for us is compelling. It keeps pulling us toward him, even when we're flirting with sin and the Devil. There's no substantive reason for us to neglect the love of God (Hebrews 2:3), because it's passionately pure, it purposely provides and powerfully protects us. Why wouldn't you love God back?!

For those of you that has a problem loving other people, it's time for you to check your relationship with God. Loving comes natural to the believer! Love is in us, because God is love. 1 John 4:20-21 says "If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? ²¹ And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers." Christians should never have a love problem! Now, we may have a like problem. Trust me, some people are hard to like, and that's alright. However, you must love period!

The law of spiritual reciprocity suggests that we should give God what he gives us. Don't be stubborn or stingy, love God back! Love him because he loved you first, when you were unlovable! Open your heart to God; not sections of your heart but let him in and give him room to roam. Hear this truth, God is not your last trifling lover! He's not the father you never really knew or the mom that you struggle to get along with. God is not your siblings that makes your blood boil or your so called friends who are never there when you need them. God will not break your heart! He's a gentle giant, that's soft enough to comfort you but strong enough to keep you and push you to be better than who and what you are.

O God, help us to love again. We've been hurt and are defensive. But we pray that we will know the purity of your love and be open to share the love that you've given us. Help us to move on from the pain of our past, with an understanding that our present has possibilities and move forward into the future with you, at full steam ahead! In Jesus' name, Amen.

***Tomorrow's verse...Acts 2:42 'Loyally in Love'