Are You Mindful of Choosing Love?
Are you lovable? Are you mindful to love God and Others?
The title of today’s message is Battling Your Mind to Choose Love.
Prayer – Let us open with prayer. Heavenly father, thank you for those listening or watching (and reading) this message. They are seeking your word and a relationship with you. Open their hearts and minds to receive your glory from the message. Help them learn how you perceive love and want it to be applied. Also, heal those who are sick, comfort those who need this today, lift up our church and country, and forgive us for our sins. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Some people have bought into the myth that love is uncontrollable, that it’s an emotion that just happens to us. In fact, even the language we use implies the coincidence of love. The meme, “I fell in love,” sounds as if “ love” were some kind of object to trip over. I’m walking along one day and—bam!—I fell in love. I couldn’t help myself.
But here’s the truth: That’s not how our mind works. Love doesn’t just happen to you. Love is a choice, and it represents a daily commitment. There’s no doubt that attraction arises, and you may fill uncontrollable. But attraction is not love. It can lead to love, but it is not love. Love is a choice. Our mind will frame to either give and receive love or to hold back and push away love. The commitment which comes with love includes more than emotion, it includes the time, talent and resources you choose to give and receive.
The other day in a Facebook group about finding love, I saw a post with a picture of a heart. Of course, the heart symbolizes love. There were words in the middle of the heart which said, “it’s all about you”. Do you find that if a person chooses to focus on themselves, and their problems that is loveable? What if they break promises because there thinking about themselves, is this an attractive quality? Does the saying “it’s all about you” give you the idea that if you choose this route you could make yourself more lovable? Actually, I believe you could make it difficult for your friends and family and friends to be close to you. And no where in the bible does it indicate that love is “all about you”. God says he won’t force you to love him (Deuteronomy 30:20). . You can choose to unlike, unfollow, and ignore the Bible and God. You could go a totally different way. You can destroy your life if you choose to do that. God still won’t force you to love him, or others. God won’t force you to receive this blessing of love either. God gives you free will to love him. He says he give you the choice for prosperity, blessings, long life if you follow his word. But it’s all up to you.
Declaration: Please repeat out loud. It’s not all about me. The bible says, its about God and others. I choose to love my Heavenly Father and follow bible principles.
Paul tells the Philippian church, in order to have God’s peace, you should give love through things that are good, deserve praise, and are honorable, (Philippians 4:8-9). In addition, Jesus tells us that the most important rules in the bible is to love God and love your Neighbor. Loving your neighbor means giving freely, sharing, and being generous for those in trouble, the poor, and the needy. So you see, love is more than an emotion or words. Love comes through your mindful honorable actions towards God and our neighbors. I like to think of this as giving my time, talent, and resources to God. So give and receive love. If your falling short choose to renew your mind.
Declaration:
I choose to renew my mind and love my Heavenly Father whole heartedly. I will love him by generously giving my time, talent, or resources to him. This giving would be to my church, the poor or the needy. If I’m the one in need, I will ask for help and graciously receive God’s provision through the flock of Jesus.
Meditation: During relaxing music do the following:
- Ask the Holy Spirt if you are being lovable by your actions? If your following short say a prayer to be more loving and to give love and blessings.
- Give God thanks that he gives you the choice to love him. Thank Jesus for his sacrifice. Because of Jesus, even when we do not choose to be loveable God will forgive us and allow us to come back to him.
- Consider what people in your life are true friends and have demonstrated the truth that love is a choice and a commitment? These people should be a source of encouragement and a role model.
Thank you for staying with me through this “Speaking God’s Word” message. I pray God’s Love to you until the next time. If God leads you, subscribe to these messages or give to this ministry your time, talent, or resources I will receive your love. Just contact me in the links.
Scriptures Related to this message.
“Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers GOD, your God’s, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.”
Deuteronomy 15:10-11 MSG
“See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 NIV
“In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. Put into practice what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God who gives us peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9 GNTD
“Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Matthew 22:37-39 NIV