For the Love of God

Hey,

So today in church they had a comedy night which was a wonderful, amazing event that was enjoyable and funny.

Mark Ritchic came in and spoke about the love of God by telling stories about his life which were funny. He spoke about how there are two ways to look at anything because one person might see something that the other doesn't when looking at the same thing.

We may feel that when we mess up we are stuck with what we have done and therefore trapped in sin but that is a mistake as God has free us from our sins.

We may feel that we need to be better to be close to God, but this is also a mistake as God comes and holds our hand not wishing to punish us for our sins but to be with us as Jesus has paid for all our sins by dying on the cross.






Amy x

The Love of God: Loving with Strength

Hey,

Before I discuss the talk by Paul that was in the service this week, I am going to talk about new songs that I came across in church this week.

All creatures of our God and King

He is the king of kings and lord of lords



You put love of the line

I feel that this song is saying that I am who I am as is everyone else so we should accept one another God does.



Loving God with Strength by Paul

The first question is how? How do you love God with strength? When talking about loving with strength we do not mean is a physical way but in an effort as we have to commit to loving God.
We need to love God with all our strength and therefore with all we have. It is difficult to do this as there are so many things to love in this world that distracts us from taking the effort to put God first and to love him with all our being.


1 Corinthians 9:24-29

"Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that last for ever. That is why I run straight for the finishing line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest."

1 Peter 2:9

You are chosen and loved by the Coach that is God.

"But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvellous light." 

Mark 12:30


Goal - to win the game and therefore to love the lord with all our strength.

"Love the lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength"



Mathew 6:19-20


Prize

"Do not store up riches for yourselves here on Earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal."




Matthew 4:4

Lie in - get up a bit earlier and read the Bible before getting up as an example

"The scripture says 'Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.'"




Philippians 3:12

You have to be Committed in the strength and effort to loving God. You get to places by commitment. To be the best that you can be takes effort, recognising what God has given us.

"I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself."



Roman 8:31

Mental effort - sound theology

"In view of all this, what can we say? If God is for us, who can be against us?"





Philippians 4:13

Never give up

"I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me."







Proverbs 3:27

Don't hold anything back - Love God with wanton abandon

"Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it."




Violin Theory

How long do you have to practice to become perfect at it?
       
5000                  Can teach it
8000                  Play for a living
10,000               Concert player (best they can be)








The Parable of the Ten Young Women (Mathew 25)

Use the gift that God has given us.


The speaker spoke about how 'money may not be what you wish but there are times on benefit for you and others.'



God I look to you

Put the effort to love God with all that you are and to look to him.


Think about what we eat, both physically and spiritually and therefore put effort into what you put in your body  and what you feed your mind.

Love God with all our EFFORT




Amy x

The Love of God: Loving with our mind

Hey, so Finally back to church after the Christmas break and time to start the New Year with a series on the greatest commandment which is love because the essence of faith is love.

So before I get into the talk I first want to give you links to two new songs that I cam across in church this evening and hope that they inspire and touch each and everyone's hearts like they touched mine.

I've heard a thousand stories

You thought of us before the world began

Philippians 4:8

"In conclusion, my brothers and sisters, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and honourable."

We must renew our minds and believe that Gods will for us is good and as believe that as Paul says that 'the quality of our mind is related to the health of our mind and soul.

Romans 12:2

"Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. then you will be able to know the will of God - what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect."

BELIEFS

I am sure everyone has heard of the phrase 'seeing is believing' well it makes more sense to say it in the reverse as 'believing is seeing'. An example of this is the Titanic because they believed that it was unsinkable so when it was beginning the sink they didn't believe it, so belief effects how you see the world (world-view), therefore what the bible says creates a biblical world-view from what you believe.

Dr J.T.Parker

"If i were the devil...I should broadcast doubts about the truths and relevance and good sense and straightforwardness of the bible...At all costs I should want to keep them from using their minds in a disciplined way to get the measure of its message."

We all interpenetrate things differently though our beliefs. If you believe you will fail then you will so change what you think, change it so you don't doubt yourself and therefore you will not fail.

ATTITUDES

Charles Swindoll

"The longer I live, the more I realise the impact of attitude on life...The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace that day...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. We are in charge of our attitudes."

EXPECTATIONS

Be careful not to always look on the negative or the positive but to keep in line with reality.

PERCEPTIONS

Martha Grimes

Most people see what they want to 

                     or

At least what they expect to

A man in a bible talk week but fell asleep in everyone so the speaker thought that he was dragged to the week by his wife who wanted to go and that he didn't want too. The speaker felt annoyed by this. However, at the end of the week the man's wife came to talk to the speaker and said 'her husband has weeks to live and his last wish was to come a hear him talk as he had been following his bible talks for the speaker career and he really enjoyed listening to his talks. The speaker felt horrible about what he thought and realised that we all put pieces together which are mostly not true.

Ephesians 4:23-24

"Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself  in the true life that is upright and holy."

THE LAW OF COGNITION

Proverbs 23:7

"'Come on and have some more,' he says, but he doesn't mean it. What he thinks is what he really is."

John Ortberg

"The way you think creates your attitudes; the way you think shapes your emotions; the way you think governs your behaviour; the way you think deeply influences your immune system and vulnerability to likeness. Everything about you flows out of the way you think."

This suggests that the way we think effects our physical health and therefore we need to change and set our minds to God.

THE LAW OF EXPOSURE

We all need to think about what we are exposed to that effects us and our beliefs

John Ortberg

"The events we attend, the material we read, the music we hear, the images we watch, the conversations we hold, the daydreams we dwell on, all shape our mind."

Exposure of media and of belief effects us

Dallas Willard

"Our thoughts are the most basic sources of life. They determine our orientation toward everything we do and evoke the feelings that frame our world and motivate our actions. Our power over thoughts is of great and indispensable assistance in directing and controlling our feelings."

Our problem isn't that we don't love God enough but that we don't know how much God loves us.

Sorry for the long post but hope you enjoyed it

Amy xx