Grandpa Jones was celebrating his 100th birthday and everybody complimented him on how athletic and well-preserved he appeared. "Gentlemen, I will tell you the secret of my success," he cackled. "I have been in the open air day after day for some 75 years now."
The celebrants were impressed and asked how he managed to keep up his rigorous fitness regime.
"Well, you see my wife and I were married 75 years ago. On our wedding night, we made a solemn pledge. Whenever we had a fight, the one who was proved wrong would go outside and take a walk."
This week Holly celebrates her 30th bday
Mabye I’ll be in shape by my 100th bday cause I wrong a lot too
Today we continue a sermon series entitled:Live Simply Love Generously Care Deeply Speak Kindly Leave the rest to God…If you missed the last couple week’s focus on Living Simply I encourage you to visit my blog or sign up for the CD
This morning I want to begin our focus on LOVE GENEROUSLY
We are endeavoring to truly be all about Loving God and Loving People at RRAG
Jesus summed up the entire bible in Matthew 22 by commanding we love God with all our heart soul mind and strength and love our neighbor as our self
I could preach on love every Sunday until Jesus comes back and never scratch the surface
This week an OT story came into my head which I believe sums up Loving Generously, who remembers the story of Mephibosheth…I want us to learn how to love generously from the beautiful OT account of Mephibosheth
So let’s go to 2 Samuel 9…
Find Stand Read Pray
2 Sam 4:4 tells how Mephibosheth became crippled…
2 Sam 16:1-4 this tells us that even when we love generously people will fail us…but love them anyway
There were three words that jumped off my bible when I was studying 2 sam 9
Verse 3…unfailing, unsought, unlimited (Amplified)
LET’s talk about LOVE
Unfailing unsought unlimited
1. Unfailing Love
1 Cor 13, go there…
I can never get tired of such beautiful, life changing scripture
Living 1 Cor 13 is heaven on earth
TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING THROUGH THE DESERT DURING SOME POINT OF THE JOURNEY, THEY HAD AN ARGUMENT; AND ONE FRIEND SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE IN THE FACE. THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING, WROTE IN THE SAND:TODAY MY BEST FRIENDSLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.THEY KEPT ON WALKING, UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS, WHERE THEY DECIDED TO TAKE A BATH THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE MIRE AND STARTED DROWNING, BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM.AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM THE NEAR DROWNING,HE WROTE ON A STONE:'TODAY MY BEST FRIENDSAVED MY LIFE.'THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND ASKED HIM, 'AFTER I HURT YOU, YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW,YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?'THE FRIEND REPLIED 'WHEN SOMEONE HURTS USWE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN IN SAND, WHERE WINDS OF FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY.BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING GOOD FOR US, WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE WHERE NO WINDCAN EVER ERASE IT.'LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS INTHE SAND AND TO CARVE YOURBENEFITS IN STONE.
That’s unfailing Love
2. Unsought Love
Many times in our relationships with family, friends even strangers
We wait to show or give our love until it’s asked or needed sometimes we wait so long it becomes a desperate thing
What if we practiced unsought love
This is really what the random acts of kindness movement is all about
It’s the inspiration for our Rooster Crow Acts of Kindness event…Just wanted to show you God’s love in a practical way
This could be a lot of fun
What if we looked for ways to surprise family, friends, perfect strangers with a simple act of love
A card in the mail, a listening ear, an invitation to whatever…ask the HS to lead you to some unsought love
Isn’t it true that receiving something without asking for it brings such joy more joy than if you would have had to ask
Yes, scripture says we need to be on our knees asking seeking knocking but if you know Jesus like I do He’s really good at unsought love, Jesus is very playful
One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man andhis wife entered the lobby of a small hotel inPhiladelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, thecouple approached the front desk hoping to get someshelter for the night."Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husbandasked. The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile,looked at the couple and explained that there werethree conventions in town."All of our rooms are taken," the clerk said. "But Ican't send a nice couple like you out into the rain atone o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps bewilling to sleep in my room? It's not exactly asuite, but it will be good enough to make you folkscomfortable for the night."When the couple declined, the young man pressed on."Don't worry about me; I'll make out just fine," theclerk told them. So the couple agreed.As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly mansaid to the clerk, "You are the kind of manager whoshould be the boss of the best hotel in the UnitedStates. Maybe someday I'll build one for you."The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three ofthem had a good laugh.As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed thatthe helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as findingpeople who are both friendly and helpful isn't easy.Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten theincident when he received a letter from the old man.It recalled that stormy night and enclosed around-trip ticket to New York, asking the young man topay them a visit.The old man met him in New York, and led him to thecorner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. He thenpointed to a great new building there, a palace ofreddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrustingup to the sky."That," said the older man, "is the hotel I have justbuilt for you to manage.""You must be joking," the young man said."I can assure you I am not," said the older man, a slysmile playing around his mouth.The older man's name was William Waldorf Astor, andthe magnificent structure was the originalWaldorf-Astoria Hotel.The young clerk who became its first manager wasGeorge C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw theturn of events that would lead him to become themanager of one of the world's most glamorous hotels.We are not to turn our backs on those who are in need, for we might be entertaining angels.Life is more accurately measured by the lives youtouch than the things you acquire...
Unfailing unsought Love
3. Unlimited Love
Let me say again and again
No matter where you’ve been no matter what you’ve done you can begin again God loves you with an unfailing unsought unlimited unconditional love!
Come to Jesus ABC
I love the way Exodus 34 speaks of God’s unlimited love
Moses wanted to experience the Presence of God
Verse 6 and the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD! The LORD! A God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving-kindness and truth…
Abounding unlimited LOVE
I found this poem entitled More than enough, the author is anonymous
Have you ever thought about the extravagance of God.More sky than man can seeMore sea than he can sailMore sun than he can bear to watchMore stars than he can scaleMore breath than he can breatheMore yield than he can sowMore grace than he can comprehendMore love than he can know
Love Generously
Unfailing unsought unlimited
