16 What Matters Most

 

 

 

PURPOSE # 2

 

 

You Were Formed For God's Family

 

 

 I am the vine, and you are the branches.

John 15:5

 

Christ makes us one body...

Connected to each other.

Romans 12:5

 

 

16 What Matters Most

 

 

No matter what I say, what I believe, and

what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

1 Corinthians 13:3b

 

Love means living the way God commanded us

to live. As you have heard from the beginning,

his command is this: Live a life of love.

2 John 1:6

 

 

Life is all about love.

Because God is love, the most important lesson

he wants you to learn on earth is how to love.

It is in loving that we are most like him,

so love is the foundation of every command he has given us:

"The whole Law can be summed up

in this one command:

'Love others as you love yourself.'"

Galatians 5:14

 

Learning to love unselfishly is not an easy task.

It runs counter to our self-centered nature.

That's why we're given a lifetime to learn it.

Of course, God wants us to love everyone,

but he is particularly concerned

that we learn to love others in his family.

As we've already seen,

this is the second purpose for your life.

 

"Show special love for God's people."

1 Peter 2:17b

"What we have the opportunity to help anyone,

we should do it.

But we should give special attention to those

who are in the family of believers."

Galatians 6:10

"Your strong love for each other

will prove to the world

that you are my disciples."

John 13:35

 

 

The Best Use Of Life Is Love

 

 

Love should be your top priority,

primary objective, and greatest ambition.

"Let love be your greatest aim."

1 Corinthians 14:1a

Relationships must have priority

in your life above everything else.

Why?

Life without love is really worthless.

"No matter what I say,

what I believe, and what I do,

 I'm bankrupt without love."

1 Corinthians 13:3

 

"'You must love the Lord your God

with all your heart...'

This is the first and greatest commandment.

A second is equally important:

'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

All the other commandments

and all the demands of the prophets are

based on these two commandments."

Matthew 22:37-40

 

After learning to love God (worship),

learning to love others is the second purpose of your life.

The point of life is learning to love—God and people.

Life minus love equals zero.

Love will last forever.

"These three things continue forever:

faith, hope, and love.

And the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:13

 

Love leaves a legacy.

How you treated other people, not your wealth or accomplishments,

is the most enduring impact you can leave on earth.

As Mother Teresa said,

"It's not what you do,

but how much love you put into it that matters."

Love is the secret of a lasting heritage.

 

In our final moments we all realize that

Relationships are what life is all about.

 

We will be evaluated on our love.

In heaven God won't say,

"Tell me about your career, your bank account, and your hobbies."

Instead he will review how you treated other people,

particularly those in need.

Matthew 25:34-46

"Truly I tell you,

just as you did it to one of the least of these

who are members of my family, you did it to me."

Matthew 25:40

"The only thing that counts is faith

exprssing itself through love."

Galatians 5:6

 

 

The Best ｅxpression Of Love Is Time

 

 

The importance of things can be measured

by how much time we are willing to invest in them.

The more thime you give to something,

the more you reveal its importance and value to you.

The greatest gift you can give someone is your time.

"My children,

our love should not be just words and talk;

it must be true love,

which shows itself in action."

1 John 3:18

Relationships take time and effort,

and the best way to spell love is "T—I—M—E."

 

The essence of love is

not what we think or do or provide for others,

but how much we give of ourselves.

Whenever you give your time,

you are making a sacrifice,

and sacrifice is the essence of love.

 

"Be full of love for others,

 following the example of Christ

who loved you and gave Himself to God

as a sacrifice to take away your sins."

Ephesians 5:2

Love means giving up—yielding my preferences,

comfort, goals, security, money, energy,

or time for the benefit of someone else.

 

 

The Best Time To Love Is Now

 

 

"Whenever we have the opportunity,

we should do good to everyone."

Galatians 6:10

"Use every chance you have for doing good."

Ephesians 5:16

"Whenever you possibly can,

do good to those who need it.

Never tell your neighbor to wait until tomorrow

if you can help them now."

Proverbs 3:27

 

Knowing that one day you will stand before God,

here are some questions you need to consider:

How will you explain those times

when projects or things were more important to you than people?

Who do you need to start spending more time with?

What do you need to cut out of your schedule to make that possibe?

What sacrifices do you need to make?

 

The best use of life is love.

The best ｅxpression of love is time.

the best time to love is now.

 

 

 

 

DAY SIXTEEN

Thinking About My Purpose

 

Point to Ponder: Life is all about love.

 

Verse to Remember: "The entire law is summed up in a

single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Galatians 5:14

 

Question to Consider; Honestly, are relationships

my priority? How can I ensure that they are?

 

 

 

p 123~129

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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