Love God and Love One Another

 

Pastor Allan was speaking, as I took notes and present an edited message:

This has been a hard week of disappointment, hurt and absence of answers.  Pile upon pile it seemed, but the Holy Spirit reminded me: “Keep your eyes on Jesus and it will be worth it all.”

It is time to ignore the distractions of life that pull our eyes off God.  Our eyes often are focused on the tempest instead of He who controls the storm.

We have seen a lot of changes this year.  Some have been alienated by pressure or feelings of loneliness. 

There have been seasons of ministry and then changes.  The outreach to the homeless upset some of our neighbors, because we embrace all people as we offer them the love of God.

There is a new shift in the seasons.  How do we measure success?  This is what Jesus had to say.

Mark 12:28-31 And one of the scribes came, and asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?  And Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with your entire mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

As a pastor, I need to know more about each of you.  Our relationship with each other and with God is of importance.

Understand what the will of God is and I encourage you to build your relationship with God and with each other, and also with those you associate with during the week.

The second commandment is to love others as much as we love ourselves.  We are to be kind and caring toward all.

We need wisdom to make right choices and to keep our eyes on Jesus.

The test of Fire will remove impurities in our soul, and after the fire comes the cool breeze of the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit.  We are accountable to God as we trust him. 

 

When adversity comes, it is not time to throw up our hands in defeat, but it is time to unite as one.  Let us show our love.