Love like a Dog
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LOVE
LOVE
Announcements: Youth after School Ministry this week
Prayer time
Youth truth
Love, Unconditional
From my best Friend Harry, “every day everyone is looking for love, but are we looking for God’s love”? This is the the source we seek built from deep within our souls whether we realize it or not. Its the only love that matters and its the only love that lasts, and the only love that fulfills. Love is the energy of life. Its what gets us up each day and keeps us going. It gives life purpose and meaning. Some words of wisdom from a longtime believer and friend.
How do you do going thru life without the Love of JESUS in your life?
I have a Dog Story
Litr’ hound. MO
Followed me where ever he could.
slept with me
begged food from me
love to go for a walks in the hills
always had a great big smile when we went on our walks together.
loved his best friend Annie
Always knew when he was in trouble by the tone of my voice
sad eyes, bashful face
Was strong willed
Willing to try anything.
back of the pickup box ride
love to play ball
play squirrel
tug of war
chase his best friend Annie
He gave everything he had to us for the short time he was with us. He gave us memories of some really special times of what love really looks like our walks in the hills. This little guy was so faithful he knew no strangers, and loved everyone he came in contact with, especially little kids. This is not the normal traits for a Dachshund mini pin mix breed. They are usually territorial and most dachshunds I was ever around barked a lot and only wanted to be handled by their owner. Not Mo. He did have one person he was not sure of and did get a bit aggressive with. He had a very caring mindset yet he was without a doubt the best little friend I ever experienced in a long while. There was just something about him that made my heart swell up each time I was away for a bit and saw him. That same something was in Mo as he was always super excited to see me when I was away for a bit. His love was so unconditional it was almost unimaginable.
I tell you all this story in hopes you will get a picture of what unconditional love really looks like and feels like. Love is a feeling and God gave us these feelings to tell us when things are right and when they are wrong. I tell you the love litr’ hound gave was much more than any feeling, it was like the Love from Gods to us, that which he showed me when he was near me. He wanted to be with me, please me, and in general just show me how much he loved me. This love welled up inside like no other. Yet Mo never spoke a word about it. Whats the saying, “actions speak louder than words”. He like Jesus was full of the action showing unconditional love. I would like to use my friend Pastor Dick Young’s words about his dog “he lived as if he couldn’t worship me enough”.
God allowed me to have all these experiences with Mo in order for me to see what unconditional love looks like. Much like Mo, Jesus loves us like this and wants us to have the love he offers so willingly. After all he did send his one and only son to die on a cross for our sins in order that when we believe in him we get to have everlasting life!
that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
Love God with all our heart, soul and mind.
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
this is a familiar passage, isn’t it. We’ve heard this scripture, we’ve heard it in popular Christian worship songs, but before Jesus shared this in the New Testament, God said it directly to His people, Israel, in the Old Testament. Jesus is in fact reciting God’s word as an answer to the Pharisees trick question of naming the greatest commandment in the Law. We find God’s word, repeated by Jesus, in Deuteronomy 6. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Then God, in the Old Testament goes further to instruct his people in verses 6 through 9: 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
These commandments are to be on your hearts. They are so important that you should also impress them on your children, talk about them, tie them as symbols, bind them on your foreheads, write them on your doorframes and gates. God does not want us to forget this: LOVE the LORD. LOVE Him.
And Jesus did not forget. And he taught us through his ministry in the New Testament not to forget. He died, as God’s New covenant ....so we would not forget.
Jesus also taught us that there is a second commandment. God commands us to love one another as he loved us. Not to command us for command sake, but because the all knowing God, father of Jesus Christ, knows what we will experience thru true love if we obey his command. Whats his command again?
In Matthew 22:39 he says:
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
It is in fact so important it is repeated in another Gospel
John 13:34- 35 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
The New International Version. (2011). (Jn 13:34–35). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
We know when something is mentioned in the bible more than once it must be very important. Therefore it is because God gave us the 2 greatest commandments the whole law is fulfilled. Jesus makes it very clear in
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Meaning the law is complete if we love God and love our Neighbor.
He knows how we will benefit from being loved like our dog loves us.
He also knows we will benefit from abiding by these 2 commands he gives us. He will benefit from us going thru this dog like love experience because, he wants to have a good relationship with us, and experience how great his Love is. Mind you dog spelled backwards is GOD! What if we could love God like our Dogs loved us? What if we just wanted to be with him where ever he is? I believe this is really what he wants for us is to love him with our whole heart and spend time with him always.
Why do you suppose God gives us these animals? You might think what a thing to do do God. It was only to have heart break and loss when they die. Not so at all. This again I assure you is for us to experience what unconditional love is. Why doesn’t this kind of love last? Dogs give us a temporary experience of what unconditional love looks like, and He uses this to teach us that. Can you imagine experiencing this kind of love fore eternity?
Faith in and a relationship with Jesus can give you that kind of love....
I challenge you to put your faith in Jesus Christ if you have not done so. Its is thru faith in Jesus shed blood that we are saved.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God sent his son to save us and from our sin and give us eternal life so that we may be alive in him forever. The night he was to be betrayed by Judas he was eating with the disciples we see in Matthew 26.
Matthew 26:26–28 (NIV)
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Communion today (reiterate Jesus’s love… Jesus loved us this much that he wanted us to remember Him by doing this regularly. We do communion at the beginning of each month.
We practice open Communion here at Gateway Church. All we ask is that if you put your trust and faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior you are welcome to participate in communion. Communion is the outward expression of representing the shed blood and broken body of our Savior Jesus Christ.
It seems evident, since Jesus was physically present with His disciples when he commanded them to eat the bread and drink the cup, that the elements were intended to be symbolic. Again we practice open communion, meaning anyone who has trusted Jesus as Savior is invited to join us in partaking of the elements.
I will play some quiet music while you all take communion and when communion is complete feel free to join me in Worshiping our Savior Jesus Christ the Song
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus”