Love Never Gives Up

Romans 8:37-39 (NLT) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT)  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

 

God never gives up on us.  God’s love never leaves us.  Other people may leave us or just withdraw for a while.  We may even give up on ourselves.  But God never will.  I have to say that the longer I think about that, the more I don’t understand it.  I give up on people a lot and even feel justified in doing so.  Sometimes I feel like I have to withdraw sometimes out of self-preservation.  And I when I fret about my poor ability to keep loving, I often tell myself that God can keep loving long after I stop because after all, God is God and I’m not.  This is true.  But this scripture won’t let me off the hook.  I still feel called to persevering love (and by that, you know by now that I mean loving action).

 

The reality is that sometimes I’m “all out of love” (a reference to what you many would find an extremely cringe-worthy Air Supply song).  What I notice about myself in those low moments is that I am not only unable to love the other, but I am also woefully out of touch with God’s love for me.  I also notice that some of the times I have been able to love someone even when it’s really hard have also been times when I felt God’s love the most.  Those two things are connected.  Actively loving others actually draws us more fully into God’s love AND connecting with God’s love helps us love others when it's hard.  

Today concludes our series on Faith, Hope, and Love.  We will begin a new series tomorrow.  No, I’m not telling you what it is.  You’ll just have to wait and see.  Until then, I love you all!

Question:  Do you think there is a connection between our connection to God’s love and our loving action towards others?

 

Prayer:  God, thank you for never giving up on us.  Help us to see that there is no one that you ever give up on.  Amen.

 

Prayer Focus:  Pray for world peace.  I know that’s a cliché’ but there are mounting tensions between nations right now.  The last thing we need right now is yet another war.

 

Song:  Casting Crowns (w/ Steven Curtis Chapman) Listen to Our Hearts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxqHo2Pvfm0

Forgiveness - Review Thus Far

 

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you enjoyed your Memorial Day holiday.  I know I did.  This week, we will wrap up the forgiveness series, I want to provide a general summary of the series thus far.  A few people have asked for this and so I provide it today.  I hope it is helpful.

Why Learn to Forgive? – The Selfish Reasons

•   Better health – BP, cholesterol, immune response, stress

•   Better relationships – with God, with yourself, and with others

•   “You reap what you sow”  -  What fills your heart and actions is what comes back to you

•   Take power back – “Forgiveness does not change your past, but it enlarges your future”

Defintions: What Forgiveness is NOT. . .

Approval of what was done

Excuse or justification of what was done

Minimization of what was done (Denial of, blindness to, not treating seriously, pretending not to be hurt)

Removal of consequences for what was done

Reconciliation (which requires two parties)

Restoration of relationship or trust

Justice

Healing

What Forgiveness IS. . .

•   Awareness of what was done

•   It is a choice (with or without feeling)

•   Letting go of the right to punish or otherwise use the offense against the offender

•   A process

•   An act of trust in God’s justice

•   A participation in the merciful and gracious character of God

•   Choosing NOT to be a victim any longer

Why Should I Forgive!?

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.     
- Lewis Smedes

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

Hebrews 12:15

Some Qualifiers. . .

•   The “steps” don’t always occur in order

•   The “steps” often have to be repeated, sometimes many times

•   It is not always easy to know when you’re done

•   It is very difficult work

Components of Forgiveness

•   Intentional Decision

•   (Re)discovering humanity

•    Letting Go of Notion of Punishment/Restitution

•   Change your behavior towards the offender

•   Pray for the offender

•   Say the Words

Symptoms That Forgiveness Hasn’t Happened

•   You have a hard time speaking their name

•   You hear that something good has happened to them and you aren’t happy for them

•   You are unable to think about them separate from what they did

•   You find yourself blaming them for things that are happening to you now

•   You wish they were “just gone.”

Resources for Forgiving

•   Setting Boundaries

•   Writing/Journaling

•   Discipline of Gratitude

•   Naming/Confessing the “bitter root”

•   Asking God for help

•   “Reframing” the situation (Romans12:1-2)

•   Praying for good to come to the person

 

Signs that you’re on the Path

•   Awareness of the need to forgive

•   Decision to forgive

•   Changes in feelings about the person

•   Able to say the words out loud

•   You can pray for the blessing of this person

•   You experience at least some measure of gratitude for the experience

Imagine. . .

•   Not carrying the bitterness around anymore

•   That “foothold” is no longer available in your heart

•   The energy expended in relation to the offense being used positively

•   “bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” FALLING AWAY POWERLESS

Prayer:  Lord help us to make forgiveness a regular part of our life.  Heal our hearts.  Clear our minds of unhelpful scripts.  Give us eyes to see people the way you do.  Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Pray for families with people in the military.

Song:  Still - Steven Curtis Chapman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNMTQB7DwA4 

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