LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!

“A new command I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

I want to talk about loving each other. Let’s first talk about the meaning of this love. Merriam-Webster has this definition:

unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) : brotherly concern for others b : a person's adoration of God.

So we should have true concern for others. By doing this, we will demonstrate God’s love. People will wonder…why does this person care? We care because God first loved us. He gave us His only son. He showed His love for us through a great sacrifice.

This leads me to this scripture found in Matthew 22:36-40.
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[a] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'So first we must love the Lord with all of our heart, soul and mind—Put Christ First. Then we must love our neighbors as ourselves.

Ok? So what does this have to do with our journey to good health? Well, I believe if along the way, we have people who love us, we will have a greater chance to succeed. And we will definitely succeed if we love the Lord with all of ourselves on the journey.

We’ve all heard this poem but imagine your journey with God as we read “Footprints in the Sand.”

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you."
Mary Stevenson

God will carry you in times of trouble. He will give you a way out of temptation. He will help you stand up under it. He will give you success in all that you do if you would only commit to Him. It’s easy…LOVE GOD!!

God demonstrated a different kind of love. He demonstrated what I believe to be the most extreme kind of love. He showed love through sacrifice. He gave His only son. John 4:9-10 reads:

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

God sent His son not because we first loved Him. He sent Him because He loves us. Through His son, we receive eternal life and we are washed free of our sins. Wow!!! This really shows the power of love. What can we sacrifice to demonstrate our love for God?

God also tells us not to love the world. I John 2:15-17 says;

15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

If we put aside the ways of the world, it will give our lives room for God. By craving what the world has, we are looking for satisfaction elsewhere. We should find our satisfaction in pleasing God. It pleases God when we take care of ourselves, when we place our lives in His hands and allow Him to guide us along all of our paths. We may think our journey to good health is vain and selfish. But our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit. We are to honor God with our bodies.
What an example we can set by reaching our health goals! We can bring our “brothers” to great spiritual health by encouraging them through witness to join our Bible Study.

I first started this class because I wanted to help fellow church members to lose weight. I never thought it would lead me to a closer relationship with God. I love God and I love all that He has blessed me with through this class. I have met wonderful people who support me and encourage me to be a better Christian. I have become involved with my church and am serving others. I have a strong desire to read God’s word and to love all of His people. I think it is safe to say that, “I love the Lord with all of my heart, soul and mind.”



Let us pray.
God, our Father,
may we love You in all things and above all things.
May we reach the joy which You have prepared for us in
Heaven.
Nothing is good that is against Your Will,
and all that is good comes from Your Hand.
Place in our hearts a desire to please You
and fill our minds with thoughts of Your Love,
so that we may grow in Your Wisdom and enjoy Your Peace.