We learn to love from those who are gracious to us and therefore love them. In such a case we do not have to change, we love because of the benefit of the one loving us. We become emotionally attached because of our need attached to the one meeting that need. God's love calls for something beyond that, He calls for a love that is based on who He is and for what He is. To step into that kind of life, there must be faith, there must be a willingness to sacrifice every opinion, need, emotion, and cast it away and fall at His feet and give Him the pure praise and adoration for the love He has for us. We cannot have love until we recognize His love for us. If we question His love, we block His love from coming to us.

Praise and worship is the road we must walk on, it gives us the solid rock and sure footing to face every trial. It
removes us from the power and influence of every day cares. It destroys the bitterness, resentment,
unforgiveness, criticism, and sweetens our spirit to enjoy the privilege of obeying Him. It detaches us from
facing the law and its condemnation and causes us to face Jesus from where we are changed from glory to
glory. As we turn away from those sins and trials that so easily beset us daily and we turn to behold His love in
faith and sacrifice, He fills our spirit with Himself. Until the Holy Spirit fills our spirit, we can never be obedient
and holy. For the definition of a saint is someone that is holy. For "without holiness no one wills e e

If we are struggling to see the Lord, check our love. Are we loving self, focusing on our self and living by our
opinion of God and how He responds to our needs? Are we constantly crying because our need is overwhelming
us? Are we intimidated by the thoughts that constantly plague our minds? Does faith allude us? Are we living
under the condemnation of our sins and character flaws? Does our emotional disposition easily beset us? Are we
out of control and cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel? Are we tired of running in circles and seeking

Let us now take a look at the foundations of which most of us were probably never taught. First, salvation can only be entered by faith operating in repentance. Repentance is a commitment to turn from self and to turn to Christ. Second, baptism is the public testimony in which a person is stating they are committed to putting to death the life of self and have chosen to live by faith a resurrected life through Christ. Thirdly, the walk is a walk by faith and not by sight, need or anything else. And lastly, it is a life of receiving andr e co g n i zi n g

While self is seeking Christ to fill its expectations, their will be a constant conflict. The person will be constantly focusing on themselves and evaluating God from a "need" and self basis. Tears and time won't change God into an acceptance of anything less than a salvation based on self-denial. We must realize we all have one problem\u2026 self. Self-interest, our self-centered opinions. Self judging God by the condition of whether He is ministering to our needs. Self judging our brothers by our standards of obedience and ethics, and self focusing on its lack of abilities and weaknesses. If we abide in those self seeking conditions, we are not abiding in Him and therefore lack the Spirit to change.

We begin by repentance and living by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us. He did not die to promote "us," He died to demote "us" and promote Himself "in" us. Our new focus is on God's word, the very source that directs us to His love and therefore causes us to love. The Word of God is the very source describing His nature, His loving-kindness, etc., all of which is based on His love\u2026. "For God is Love."

God is not missing a person. He is examining every heart. He is examining every motive, every intention and
every relationship. He is looking for His reflection, His presence, His worship, for it is in that person He will
fellowship and manifest His presence and power.

There is such a war inside us to find obedience, strength and an abiding fellowship with Him. Somehow
obedience and love don't connect. Many say they love Him, but find excuses for their disobedience. Others
seem to obey Him, yet show no sensitivity rooted in love. But listen to the fresh excitement coming from the
heart of Nehemiah the prophet, "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant

He sounds like someone who just got saved. "Are God is an awesome God." God intends to fill the heart with wonder and awe. That is why some new converts speak about God with such adjectives. Later they are often found either being disappointed or religious. Joshua warns us, "So be very careful to love the LORD your God." (Josh 23:11, NIV)

On the other hand, how would you like if someone kept doubting you, misjudging and misrepresenting your
character? Would that person be able to obey you? It is detrimental to a relationship to constantly judge a
person's heart. To extend your paranoia to the behavior of others, this is not the gift of discernment, this is the
gift of discouragement. To return to our first love, is to return to the place where we think our God is an
awesome God. To return to the childish simplicity of the exaltation of having a wonderful Father that loves us.

When Love possess a man's soul, it streams in fruit out of his spirit. Love fills us with faith and obedience. Love looks on others and situations through the eyes of Jesus. Love finds a way to reconcile, forgive and heal. Love has hope when others quit and others are full of criticism and condemnation. Love's greatest joy is to please the one it loves. Loves is loyal, love believes the best of others. Love finds reason to give when others are crying to get.

I remember a story I heard from Juan Carlos Ortiz about 30 years ago. He said there was a young man in his
fellowship that was missing many of the meetings. He ask him why, and the young man responded by giving
him the details of his schedule: work, school and chores around the house\u2026 he was just too busy. Then one day
he met a girl, he spent much of his time with her. Juan Carlos ask him how he found time to fit her into his
busy schedule, he gave numerous reasons. Juan Carlos realized, love finds a way.

Love rids us of many excuses, love will cause us to defend people we shouldn't defend. Love will cause us to take a hit across the cheek without retaliation. Love will cause us to meet with our brothers and sisters when others find excuses to miss. Everything God has designed for man is built on love.

Consider 1 Corinthians 12 and 13, in chapter twelve Paul speaks of the function of the Godhead, and the
function of the body and the gifts granted through the operation of the Holy Spirit. At the end of chapter twelve
we read, "But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way

Paul was a "love" man, here he was imparting two very important points in our walk with Christ and in His
body. First, our relationship with one another should be supernaturally gifted by the manifestation of the Holy
Spirit. We should pour the gifts upon one another, expressing God's love through the supernatural love of God.
But Paul wanted to express the channel for which those gifts have been designed by God. It is the channel of
Love. He starts 1 Corinthians 13 by comparing those things we all "eagerly" desire.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love

In the church today, we are so quick to exalt those possessing such giftings. Our lack of seeing the real
manifestation has caused us to worship anyone with charisma and gifting. We honor much of the visual, audible
and experiential. Though the gifts hold a high priority with God, God looks at the heart. He looks for men
motivated by love. He looks for weeping men, broken men, humble men, men filled with love.

This was precisely the point Jesus made when He said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter
the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on
that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many

Many are convinced that their gifts or efforts establishes their relationship with Jesus. Gifts must flow from love or they are nothing according to 1 Corinthians 13. God looks for love in the heart, not gifts in the actions. Labor doesn't preceded love.

Paul then proceed to define love, just in case their was someone who had their own corner on love's definition, a love defined by their own agenda and matching their own behavior. Let's read Paul's definition and compare it to ours and where we stand with our brothers and sisters.

"Lovei s patient, love i sk i n d . I t does not envy, i t does not boast, i t is not proud. I t is not rude, i t is not self- seeking,i t is not easily angered, i t keeps no record of wrongs. L o v e does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.I t always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always

a murderer and a murder (one who hates) does not have eternal life. John is transferring the outward sin of
murder to the inner hidden sin of the heart of hate; similar to Jesus' analogy to the adulterer. The outward
behavior of the adulterer is equal to the inner hidden sin of adultery in the one who looks with lust in his heart.

lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete amongu s (true Christians) so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4: 16-18