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Transcript

Love People · First15 Devotional

• 0:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: As we continue our week, exploring the simple principles of the Christian faith.
• 0:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Today, let's look at what it means to love people.
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: Many of us know that God asks us to love others, but often loving people is easier said than done.
• 0:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: God knows our weaknesses, and any command he gives, he has a plan to empower us and give us grace to be obedient.
• 0:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: As you explore how God may want you to love people today, may your heart be opened to His profound grace.
• 0:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to the first 15 podcast.
• 1:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Our Scripture for today comes from 1 John 4 verse 7, Scripture says, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
• 1:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: As we step into a deeper abundance of relationship with our Heavenly Father, our hearts will naturally burn to love people as He has loved us.
• 1:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Loving people was never a chore for Jesus.
• 1:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: He loved those around Him with the fiery passion of His Father, and God calls you and me to do the same.
• 2:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: 1 John 4 verses 9 through 12 says, in this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only son into the world so that we might live through Him.
• 2:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins.
• 2:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
• 2:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: No one has ever seen God.
• 2:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.
• 2:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: God's love, perfected in you, will be demonstrated in the way you love others.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Allow that fact to rest in your heart for a minute.
• 3:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Allow scripture to establish in you the core value of selfless love.
• 3:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: I used to think that the highest form of Christian spirituality would be surrendering all forms of pleasure and human contact in order to devote my entire life to relationship with God.
• 3:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: But Scripture is clear that God desires to produce in us a passionate pursuit and love for everyone around us.
• 3:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: We demonstrate the depth of our love for Him through the depth of our love for others.
• 3:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Christianity is not a religion of clicks, comfort zones, or isolation.
• 3:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Rather, it is a personal relationship with a God who loves people and longs to fill us with His love for others.
• 4:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Or Heavenly Father knows that we are incapable of consistently and selflessly loving others in our own strength.
• 4:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: He knows that apart from Him, we are selfish, prideful, fearful, and inconsistent.
• 4:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: But our God is fully capable of remarkable transformation.
• 4:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: If we will open the doors of our hearts who is love and allow Him to change us for the better.
• 4:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: If we will allow him to satisfy us and heal our wounds, we will receive a flood of genuine love for others, that casts out all fear, selfishness and pride, in light of God's glorious grace.
• 4:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus said in John 15 verses 12 through 14, this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.
• 5:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Greater love has no one than this that someone lay down his life for his friends.
• 5:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: You are my friends if you do what I command you.
• 5:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: What is holding you back from loving others selflessly?
• 5:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Where do you need a fresh filling of God's love to heal your wounds and satisfy your heart?
• 5:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: What fear or source of pride is keeping you from receiving God's passion at heart for others around you?
• 5:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Spend time and prayer, allowing scripture to influence and reprioritize what you view as most important.
• 5:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: allow God to flood the dry and wounded places of your heart.
• 5:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: And allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with His heart for those around you who desperately need someone to reveal God's love to them.
• 6:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: As we begin, meditate on Jesus' commandment to love others in response to his love, allow Scripture to lay the foundation for how you will decide to live your life.
• 6:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: John 1335 says, by this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
• 7:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: And next, spend time receiving God's love.
• 7:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Where do you need His love in order to love others well?
• 7:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: What wound is causing you to live fearfully, selfishly, or pridefully?
• 8:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: What area of your life needs to be healed or satisfied?
• 8:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ask God to pinpoint that place.
• 8:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ephesians 3 verses 17 through 19 says, so that Christ made dwell in your hearts through faith.
• 8:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: That you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth.
• 8:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: and to know the love of Christ the surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
• 9:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: and last.
• 9:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with God's heart for others.
• 9:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Allow him to show you how he feels about people at your work, school, church, or neighborhood.
• 9:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ask him to reveal specific people he desires you to love well today.
• 9:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ask him for specific ways he would have you love them.
• 9:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Roman's chapter 12 verses 9 and 10 says, let love be genuine.
• 9:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Have horror what is evil, hold fast to what is good, love one another with brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor.
• 10:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: The ability to genuinely love others is a sign of the new nature placed within you at salvation.
• 11:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: When you love selflessly, you bring the kingdom of heaven to earth.
• 11:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: The world has no rebuttal for love.
• 11:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: It has no grid for acts of selfless generosity.
• 11:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Love tears down walls that have been built up between man and God.
• 11:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: It pierces through heart, exteriors, and reaches the core of man's heart.
• 11:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: May you reveal the great love of your Heavenly Father today, through acts of genuine, selfless love.
• 11:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for listening to today's podcast.
• 12:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Josh Miller with verse 15.
• 12:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: I just wanted to take a moment to thank our monthly partners who are making this podcast possible.
• 12:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Every day around the world, people are waking up and connecting with God because of the support of generous donors.
• 12:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: So thank you so much for making all of that possible.
• 12:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Have a wonderful rest of your day today