Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Encouragement

It’s All About Love

Encouragement

On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 22:40

One day an expert of the law tried to trap Jesus by asking Him what the most important commandment was. Jesus responded that the first is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. The second is of the same essence: love your neighbor as yourself.

In summary, the overall message of the Bible is love. If we love God we will love others. If we love others it is because the love of the Father is in us. 

The Bible is a love story that begins with man rebelling against God, but God kept pursuing him ultimately to a cross. The very thing that separated man from God is what actually brought God to man. It’s all about love and it’s an unending love.

The Ten Commandments can be divided into two sections. The first five commandments deal with our relationship with God and the last five deal with our relationships with others. But they all go hand-in-hand. 

Once we establish a right relationship and fellowship with God it will show by the presence of this love for God in our relationships with others. As Jesus brought all the commandments down to two, we can clearly see that it’s the spirit of love.

Jesus came so that we may have a portrait of the love of God. And there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13). This is the example of true love.

We can do many things right but if we do not love we have missed the whole point. The better we understand the love of God the better we obey the word of God. And the better we obey the word of God the better we show the love of God.

Pray

Lord, help me to understand Your great love for me and let me reflect Your love in my life. Thank You for loving me even when I don’t deserve it. Give me the the spirit of love that others will see who You are.

We Have Promises

Encouragement

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1

Our acceptance by God is on the basis of grace through faith. We can’t earn it and we definitely don’t deserve it. God offers His righteousness so that we may be accepted through His Son, Jesus Christ. That’s grace!

Paul told the Philippian jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31) There was nothing that he needed to do but believe and receive. Grace secures our position in Christ as being right with God. 

Paul ultimately says in today’s verse, “Since we have been given grace we work toward complete holiness because we desire to honor God.” We honor God when we are practicing holiness. The day that we accepted Christ as Savior, our sins were forgiven but it doesn’t mean we are sinless. 

Everyday we grow and mature in our faith. Our lives reflect what we believe. Are you working towards holiness? Are you becoming more like Christ? 

The good news is that as a Christ follower, you have already been accepted by God. The pressure is off in regards to living a perfect life.

When God looks at you He sees the perfection and righteousness of Jesus in you. In return, we desire to please Him in everything we do and say. We work out what God has worked in you through His power and grace.

Pray

Lord, I desire to please You with my life. Thank you for giving me the free gift of grace. I strive to live my life holy unto You.

Worship Today

Encouragement

Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
Psalms 95:2

Do you love to worship? Spiritual worship is much more than just showing up for a church service. Worship requires participation. When we meet together for public worship we need to make sure we each do our part.

Our hearts need to be prepared in order to get the most out of our worship experience. We need to prepare our hearts for what God is going to do during our time of worship.  What are some important preparations?

Spending some time praying and speaking to God before it’s time to worship makes a difference. Before we worship we should confess our sins and humble ourselves before the Lord. This will open the door for a wonderful opportunity for God to speak to us.

Our attitude makes all the difference. If you enter into worship with a negative attitude you should expect negative results. But if you expect great things to happen during worship God will show up and bless you tremendously.

Gratitude and thanksgiving centers our hearts around what God has done for us. If we are truly thankful our response in worshipping God comes easy.

You don’t want to miss out on a great blessing. The author of Hebrews says, “Don’t forsake or neglect the assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25).  There are wonderful blessings for those who desire to worship the Lord.

Pray

Lord, as I prepare my heart for worship, I thank You for being a great and awesome God.  Let my mind and heart be in tune with Yours. Speak to me, Lord.