Author: debo

Maybe you are starting to think that loving one another is just another chore you have to do as a Christian. If we look at Christianity as a list of dos and don’ts, and a bunch of chores that you are required to do, you have missed the point completely. Loving one another isn’t a chore, but a joy! We GET to share in the life of God, which is what the whole captive world is looking and longing for. God can use us as an answer to their cry. At the same time, we have to realize that this life isn’t a dress rehearsal. We are not just going to act like we love others, this is the real deal, we really love people!! Sharing in the life of God, is living loved! We have been shown God’s love, His favor, and His blessing, now we get to pass it on! Our attitude in how we love is on display. Are you happy to serve, to love, to bless others? Do they see joy or duty in your actions? Love should be our motivation. We love, so we give. We love so we serve. We love because we have been loved. We live out what we have experienced from a loving God! We can do for others what has been done to us. What a privilege. Let love one another!

One of the biggest keys to beginning to love one another more fully is to remember how much less we have to think about ourselves, and how much more we need to think about others. We usually operate exactly opposite of that! Let’s switch it up. How can we begin thinking more about others than ourselves? One way is to realize that Jesus didn’t tell us to get love from each other, but to GIVE love to one another. In a getting world, we have to change our mindset. Getting is selfish…giving is selfless. It requires realizing that when we do give, we are acting like our Father who we are told to imitate, and on top of that, we are obeying the commandment of Jesus to love one another. We also put the law of sowing and reaping into motion, and when we try it, we find that living to give is the only way to live. It makes life fun when we realize we are put on the planet to be a blessing to others. Instead of putting self on the throne, we put Jesus there. When we do, we get a whole different perspective. We begin to have His heart and His eyes for others around us. Our troubles and struggles seem light and temporary, as we focus on others. It brings great freedom to our life and renews our joy as we see that we don’t live to GET love from others, we GET to love others

Welcome to week 2 of our summer study on Authentic Relationships. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with your dailyeword. Life is nothing without relationships, and during this focused study on relationships, we are talking about practical principles of one anothering, so that our relationships can be dynamic. Here is your daily eword about loving others like Jesus loves you, as we put into practice John 13:34 which tells us to obey Jesus new commandment, to love others like Jesus loves us. We can do this!

I think you probably have seen on TV where a young mom sees her returning soldier for the first time. Their eyes meet, and they run to embrace one another. Perhaps she had a baby while he was away, and the first glimpse of his newborn child is a priceless picture. Love is a powerful emotion. I tear up every time I see that same story unfold. I love seeing an elderly couple walking hand in hand, looking each other eye to eye, with a lifetime of love expressed in one glance. The power of love is immeasurable. This week we are talking about loving others like Jesus loves you. There is nothing more powerful in our life than feeling completely loved and cherished. God has sent that kind of love to us in the person of Jesus. He loves sacrificially, completely, and eternally! Jesus gave us a new commandment in John 13:34, He tells us to love others like He loves us. Love the people around you. Love them like Jesus loves you. That is sacrificially, completely, and eternally! It sounds almost like a challenge, but loving like Jesus takes keeping our eyes and our heart open. There are people all around us who need to feel Jesus’ love through you. So take the challenge to encourage, serve, admonish, cherish, and love like Jesus loves. We can do that, one precious life at a time.

John 13:35 is such a powerful scripture. It says the world will know we are Jesus’ disciples by the love we have for one another. Amazing how often the opposite is true. Christians churches don’t like each other because they believe differently. Or they preach against another doctrine because they interpret scripture in another way. Or someone else doesn’t have as much revelation as they have. What a shame that the world has to see that. We are to be supportive and encouraging of one another. I love how every time we do communion at AGF we talk about discerning the body of Christ. That is not only the physical body of Christ that was bloodied, broken and bruised so that we could have a relationship with God, but also discerning the body of Christ worldwide. We have brothers and sisters in Christ, not only around the world, but right down the street from us. As believers in Jesus, who have given our heart and life to Christ, and have chosen to follow Him all the days of our life, we have to realize that heaven is big enough for all of us. God’s arms are opened wide. The prerequisite of heaven is to be born again. You can get to heaven sick, you can get to heaven without speaking in tongues, you can get to heaven poor, but you can’t get to heaven without Jesus. So let’s concentrate of the majors! Christians are on the same team, fighting the same enemy, and the enemy is the devil, not another church! Let’s let the world see love in us!

Family is important. I have a sign in my home that says, Families are Forever, No Matter What. Families should be tight. We should learn to get along, and to show the love of God most at home. If we look at the bond between God the Father, Jesus the Son, and The Holy Spirit, we can see perfect unity. It should be that way in our families too. Take a moment and look outside your family. Is there someone who has had a special relationship with you other than your immediate family? What are some of the qualities you value in that person? What have you learned about friendship from that person? Can you see the love of God through that person? So often, God places people in our lives to encourage us, to help us grow, and to become more like Jesus. Sometimes they are for a season, and sometimes they are for a lifetime. It is easy to take those relationships for granted. We should value and cherish those who build in our lives. We can be that kind of friend to someone else. I heard a speaker recently begin their sermon like this: I’m so excited about what the Lord is going to do today in you. There was a humility that we can emulate. How can I be a friend to or help someone who is needing something from God. We can take that stance, I am so excited about what the Lord is going to do in my friend today. Very often you might be the avenue God’s blessings come through.

Jesus identified the nature of the relationship that God has always wanted with us. We are not just servants of God, but friends, as it says in John 15:15. Jesus was a builder of relationships. He centered on God’s love, and served others sacrificially. He was the most selfless man that has ever walked on planet earth. Jesus became friends with Zaccheaeus, James, John, Peter, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, the woman at the well, and countless others. He engaged with them, built relationship with them, and centered his relationships on God’s love. He served others with no thought for Himself. He was the best example of one anothering ever! All his disciples had to do was to imitate Jesus and their actions would be in line with the Word, because Jesus, the Living Word, showed them how to live. They watched how He treated others. When we become others focused, the world will be amazed, and it has the power to transform others just by being around us. Let’s put some of the love that is on the inside of us into action, and be authentic in our relationships, as we act like Jesus. Transformation can happen in us first, and then transform people around us as we demonstrate the love of God. What a wonderful cycle will begin, and before long, our world will be turned right side up!

I’m sure you have friends from elementary school to college that you are might be currently in contact with. With facebook, and other social media, it is easier than ever to connect with those in our distant past. But if you have moved to a new town, or even a new neighborhood, sometimes the old friends in your old town or old neighborhood are not as high on your priority. It happens to everyone. Christians have a wonderful advantage, wherever we are, because we have brothers and sisters around the world. Often we have an instant connection just because of Jesus. But unfortunately, many people, including Christians, have many acquaintances and few real friendships. Typical relationships are often defined as the mutual accommodation of self need. We know deep down that we are created for relationship, but often approach friendship from a selfish basis. Everyone wants to share the joy of our journey and the hurts that may happen in life with others. We can pool our wisdom and our resources to the benefit of both. The answer to our quest for friendship is found in living the way Jesus did, not trying to get love for ourselves, but learning how to share it with others. We can effectively one anothers those in our world.

Jesus used simple acts of one anothering in his everyday life. He just happened to rock Zachaeus’s world when he asked to come to his house for dinner. Jesus had amazing encounters with people where ever He went. Jesus was looking for ways to let the life of God inside of Him, pour out on those who needed that Zoe kind of life. Jesus was totally others focused, so he was able to see right into the heart of each persons need and give them little nuggets of God’s love to begin the transformation process in their lives. Romans 5:5 says that the love of God has been placed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We have the unlimited resources of love that we need, and we can be a conduit of love to the may hurting people that we come in contact with. So often, we are so consumed by our own issues, or situations in our own lives, that we forget what we are put on this planet for. We have a purpose! We have a destiny. It is not all about us, Jesus wants us to touch other people’s lives, and He has given us the ability to do that. Zachaeus was a recipient of God’s love, through a person, and His life was changed forever. We might have a similar story. Who showed you the love of God, that drew you into salvation. That God for that person or people. Now God wants you to do the same for someone else. That is one anothering!

In this new series about keeping it real, one anothering starts with loving one another. All the other, one anothers
are expressions of how we let God’s love live out through us. These scriptures will show us how to express that love and expose to us the deepest treasures of what it means to be part of God’s family. During each week of our study, let’s keep our eyes on how God demonstrates these “one
another” actions toward each of us. Let’s also keep our eyes open for the opportunities we have to love others in the same manner. Let’s jump in together and discover just how transforming a life lived in love can truly be! In an age of social media explosion, people are longing for real relationships. We have unlimited ways to connect, but often real authentic connections are not being made. People often feel more isolated than ever. We use all types of communication, from texting, email, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, instagram, and the list continues. But we live in a world where these tools have not necessarily enhanced communication, and definitely have not eliminated loneliness. We need to capture God’s heart for life giving and life changing relationships. Jesus found that love could reach anyone. Let’s begin to see how we can start loving more authentically to enhance our relationships. It’s a great start to an amazing journey.

Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with your dailyeword. Life is nothing without relationships, and this study is all about giving practical examples of how to apply the principles of “one anothering” so that our relationships can be dynamic. Let’s learn together how to be the church, and to not just attend church. Here is your dailyeword with week one of Authentic Relationships, this is the real deal, this is real life, let’s Keep it Real

Wouldn’t you love to capture Jesus’ heart for life-giving relationships? In the coming weeks we will investigate questions such as, “How can we share meaningful and supporting relationships with other believers?” and “What is the New Testament model for loving, nurturing friendships”? We will explore new methods for opening doors to deeper friendships and for developing more meaningful interactions with strangers. We will discuss ways to avoid the pitfalls of judging others and be inspired to engage people with love, acceptance, kindness, and respect. As we seek to strengthen our relationships with other believers, we will discover the joys of being the church rather than simple going to church.

Here are the One Anothers we will be discussing in this keeping it real series:

Loving one another (John 13:34)

Forgiving one another (Ephesians 4:32)

Accepting one another (Romans 15:7)

Bearing with one another (Ephesians 4:2)

Being devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)

Honoring one another above ourselves (Romans 12:10)

Greeting one another (2 Corinthians 13:12)

Being hospitable to one another (1 Peter 4:9)

Being kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)

Sharing with one another (Hebrews 13:16)

Serving one another (Galatians 5:13)

Carrying one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)

Building up one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Encouraging one another daily (Hebrews 3:13)

Comforting one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)

Stimulating one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24)

Instructing one another (Romans 15:14)

Admonishing one another (Colossians 3:16)

Praying for one another (James 5:16)

Confessing your sins to one another (James 5:16)

Being of the same mind toward one another (Romans 12:16)

Submitting to one another (Ephesians 5:21)

It’s a long exciting list! Let’s be all about loving one another!