June 28, 2009

Wayne Andrie

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)13) And now these three remain: faith,hope and love. But the greatest ofthese is love.

1 Thessalonians 1:3  (NIV)3) We continually remember before ourGod and Father your work produced byfaith, your labor prompted by love, andyour endurance inspired by hope in ourLord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:8  (NIV)8) But since we belong to the day, let usbe self-controlled, putting on faith andlove as a breastplate, and the hope ofsalvation as a helmet.

Galatians 5:5-6  (NIV)5) But by faith we eagerly await throughthe Spirit the righteousness for whichwe hope. 6) For in Christ Jesus neithercircumcision nor uncircumcision hasany value. The only thing that counts isfaith expressing itself through love.

Colossians 1:3-5 (NIV)3) We always thank God, the Father of ourLord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,4) because we have heard of your faith inChrist Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints – 5) the faith and love that springfrom the hope that is stored up for you inheaven and that you have already heardabout in the word of truth, the gospel.

A. Love God!

• Loving God involves three specific actions….

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

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….

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.

3. Relying! After we release we trust that a loving God will respond to us in a way that is best for us.

We release and then we rely….as you rely…remember…two truths…

a. 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.

4. 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

B. Love Others

June 28, 2009

Wayne Andrie