14.Feb.2010 What’s love got to do with it?

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“What’s love got to do with it?”

What’s love got to do with it? EVERYTHING!

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?”

Agape love is the love that God has for us. It is shown in acts of service, kindness, and sacrifice. Sacrifice in your relationship so that it benefits the other person, in a way that it doesn’t benefit you. If the other person is not receiving of the gift, it doesn’t matter. Do something for the other person. Sacrifice your time or something else so that the other person accepts it, and it means something.

The two things that make a relationship work are alignment and let go. Align your vision with the other person’s vision. Alignment is also called submission. Be agreeing and accepting of the other person and their relationship with God. Let them go to be all that they can be in God. For men- being the head of the household isn’t about being in charge. It’s about covering your woman in encouragement, providing her with the things she needs to grow, and encouraging her to be all that she can be. For women- submit to your man, and encourage him to be all that he can be.

In order to have a good relationship with someone, you must be equally yoked, but not only that, you must be on the same page spiritually. If you have been a Christian for a long time, you should not be in a relationship with someone who is a new Christian. There should be a relationship where two people are working together in order to go where they need to go in life. There should not be one person constantly leaning on the other. There will be times when one person needs to lean on the other person, but it shouldn’t be for too long, or the other person will be dragged down. Spiritual equality is about being on the same page. Draw from God, but talk it over with the other person. Equality means, let’s grow together.

When two people are joined together in a marriage, they become one. Two people becoming one is a life-long journey. That kind of love takes time to build.

3 John 1:14-15 “For I hope to see you soon, and then we will talk face to face. Peace be with you. Your friends here send you their greetings. Please give my personal greetings to each of our friends there.”

Philio means brotherly love. That is the love we must have for one another. Just as an arm is connected deeply to our bodies, love is that connection. Love is the deep connection that binds us all together as Christ’s body. Connect is a great part of life. How do you get your best life? Connect and grow. 10% of pastors will leave because of loneliness or isolation this year. Loneliness is one of the worst things in the world. It can be deadly. We need people to survive.

Serve your friends. That is how you let them know that you care about them. With all the different ways to contact each other, it can be so convenient to just tweet or send a comment on facebook, but nothing beats face-to-face contact. It is the best way to communicate with someone because they can see your face, hear your voice, and really know what you mean. It can be hard at times to interpret what someone’s attitude is through an email. Are they angry or just saying something? Face-to-face contact is the only way you can make sure that people know how you are trying to say something.

Matthew 6:33 “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”