| What Love Requires |
| Luke 6 |
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Whenever Jesus spoke to His followers, He had a way of showing the stark contrast between law and grace. The law demands justice and equality: give and receive, borrow and pay. But the grace that God demonstrated to us through Christ, which He continues to pour out onto us through His Spirit, insists that we walk further than our human nature desires or is capable of without His help.
Without His help, I can only live naturally: love the lovely, hurt those who hurt me. But God does three remarkable things to help me accomplish more than I can through my flesh alone - He calls me to a love that requires something of me, He demonstrates through Jesus how that can be done, and the Spirit continually equips me to follow Christ's example.
There's no such thing as equality in my relationship with God; He has done all the giving. Anything I give back to Him was His initial gift to me anyway. God knows that I must stay engaged with Him in order to tap into the gift of His grace if I'm ever going to be able to love people the way He commanded. The Bible says, "He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil." This is entirely contrary to human nature. When I ask for His grace to live in the same way, God paints a picture on the walls of the world of His love for the broken. Simultaneously, I am reminded of the great depth of love He extends to me. In me and in others, it shatters every prideful notion that says love can be earned.
Used by permission from NewSpring Church
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| Upcoming Series |
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| The spirit of life... The essence of truth... The voice of God. He has always been here, and will always remain. And when you are alone, lost, and afraid, He will carry you home. Come explore the power and comfort of the one who resides within... The Ghost. |
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| Last Sunday: |
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We started up our new series The Ghost. Why are many Christians living a spirit-less life? Some Christian aren't even aware of the Holy Spirit. Some Christians are simply resisting the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit ministers to us by comforting us, counseling us, and by convicting us.
Sunday's message is available for streaming or downloading on our website, just under the calendar, or by visiting us on iTunes. |
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| Next Sunday: |
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| Lord willing, we will continue our series The Ghost by delving into the The Power Of The Holy Spirit. |
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