We are in the middle of a sermon series on Love at my church. I was asked to do the "Call to Worship" and this is what God laid on my heart for today. I pray you are encouraged to reach higher, deeper, and with more passion desiring a more intimate and authentic relationship with the One who loves you the most.
The bible tells us that God is Love and everything that comes from Him is an act of His love.
The first and greatest commandment to us:
You must love the Lord your God with
All your heart, All your soul, and All your strength.
That’s a whole lot of loving! That’s like… ALL you have.
And born basically selfish, we have a choice.
We will have to choose to love God on purpose…
in every circumstance and feeling - warm fuzzies and in want
That is going to take a huge amount of effort on our part.
In Galatians, the first Fruit of the ‘Spirit of God’ is Love,
So if God’s in here (in our heart), we can love.
(John 15:13) There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life
for one’s friends.
(Psalm 13:5) I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because You have rescued me.
Isn’t that what Jesus did for us?
He rescued us by laying down His life.
Jesus…. God in the flesh…. said this of us
If we make Him known to men,
He will make us known to the angels of God. (Luke 12:8)
If we acknowledge Him publicly here on earth,
He will acknowledge us before His Father in heaven. (Matt 10:32-33)
One of the ways we can publicly declare our love for God is
Praise & Worship
It’s very important how we begin our services every week
Did you know that your praise can clear the spiritual atmosphere in this room?
And the bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people.
When God is here there is a LOVE exchange
But it is a choice - and sometimes a battle, but your praise declares that
YOU WILL NOT BE MOVED
Your Worship becomes your love song and your battle cry.
What we need to do is choose to be a “SLUGGER”
Show UP (on time)
Look UP (focus on God)
UPLift (His Holy Name)
Give UP (our pride & fear)
Grow Up (in our faith)
Elevate (God above our problems)
End Up (on fire with love for God) (yes, I know there are 2 for 'E')
Race Up (to the altar of God)
For us, love is an action word.
How much do you want to love God?
Let’s shout out the name of God together in this place!
This is how love wins!