2. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
13)
And now these three remain: faith,
hope and love. But the greatest of
these is love.
3. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV)
3)
We continually remember before our
God and Father your work produced by
faith, your labor prompted by love, and
your endurance inspired by hope in our
Lord Jesus Christ.
4. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NIV)
8)
But since we belong to the day, let us
be self-controlled, putting on faith and
love as a breastplate, and the hope of
salvation as a helmet.
5. Galatians 5:5-6 (NIV)
5)
But by faith we eagerly await through
the Spirit the righteousness for which
we hope. 6) For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision has
any value. The only thing that counts is
faith expressing itself through love.
6. Colossians 1:3-5 (NIV)
3)
We always thank God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4)
because we have heard of your faith in
Christ Jesus and of the love you have for
all the saints – 5) the faith and love that spring
from the hope that is stored up for you in
heaven and that you have already heard
about in the word of truth, the gospel.
7. A. Love God!
• Loving God involves three specific
actions….
8. 1. Releasing! Placing our lives into the
hands of God…before we can love
2. God we must first surrender to His
love!
“Surrender is foundation to spirituality…..Christ
does not simply want our compliance. He wants our
heart. He wants our love and He offers us His. He invites
us to surrender to His love.” David Benner
9. Temptation for each of us is not release …
instead…..we try and…..
a. Make life work! Work harder….give more
effort….then, if that does seem to work…
b. Maintain control! Can’t let up…can’t stop…
can’t rest….if we eventually collapse then
we may try….
10. c. Manipulating God! How do I try to
manipulate God?
- Pray! “God you have to answer my prayers.
“We often measure God’s love by His response
to our plans. If God loves me He’ll co-operate
with my plans!” Larry Crabb
- Please - Live a good live.
11. 2. Relying! After we release we trust that
a loving God will respond to us in a
way that is best for us.
12. We release and then we rely….as you
rely…remember…two truths…
– God’s goal for us is healthiness not
happiness….character not comfort…God’s
response to our releasing will not always
bring happiness….but it will always be an
opportunity for developing a transformed
heart.
b. God’s answer to releasing can be yes, no,
wait, or surprise.
13. 1. Relating! The deeper our relationship
with God the more confident we become to release
and rely…to express our desires to God and trust
Him with the results! How do we grow deeper ?
“Choosing God is becoming aware of God by an act of
attention and then letting go. It is inviting God into
your moment and then turning your moment over to
God…It is allowing God’s desire to become yours.”
David Benner
