Message Title: Chosen in Love; Chosen to Love
Text: Colossians 3:12-17 (NIV)
Main Idea: God chose us in love to be expressions of His love.
1. Remember we are chosen, holy and dearly loved
This is the most effective first step we can take for any spiritual challenge.
I pray for connection with His affection for us. I pray that all of us can say to Him, “I love You, Lord,” freely and without any hesitation or uneasiness.
• Jesus said, “I love the Father” (John 14:31); David said, “I love You, O Lord, my strength” (Psalm 18:1).
2. Let us remember that God wants us to love freely.
Not from compulsion or grudgingly, but freely and out of faith in Him.
All biblical instructions and directives become glorious promises when we adopt the humble attitude of our Lord’s mother. “Let it be done to me according to Your word, Lord” (Luke 1:38).
Let us stop saying “Be careful what you pray for.”
What the Scripture actually teaches is to come boldly before God with our requests. (Hebrews 4:16). To cast all our cares on Him until we are carefree. (1 Peter 5:7). To pour out our hearts because God is a refuge. (Psalm 62:8)
We have this freedom because God is neither sinister or sadistic.
• Matthew 7:9-10 If you ask for bread, He will not give you a stone. If you asks for a fish He will not give him a snake.
• If we ask God for patience, God will not create adversity in our lives to make it happen.
3. We need inspiration more than explanation.
What is needed more is not exhaustive explanation but inspiration.
As a personal example,… Compassion.
As we continue to focus on our relationship with Christ we hear His voice more clearly in our moments outside of church and it affects our attitudes and perspectives on love.
We need inspiration from our connection with Him more than we need an explanation of what to do.
4. Don’t underestimate your acts of love.
• As the soldiers who fought at Gettysburg had no historical perspective on there battle, we have no eternal perspective on the significance of the love acts we perform each day. But God does.
If we ask God for patience, God will not create adversity in our lives to make it happen.
Oh, my goodness! If I had a dollar each time a pastor mistakenly drove home this message to me, I would easily have a couple of hundred dollars in my bank account. It got so bad I prayed for adversity to come so that I would acquire more and more patience! Not once did I stop to think God would not bring adversity to me so I could develop “long-suffering.”
Don’t underestimate your acts of love. If anyone needed to hear this encouraging word, it is me. I remember countless times of going out my way to help this person or that person with no expectations of hearing a “thank you.” Seldom did someone say “thanks.” Most people ignored my acts of love and once a person said “I don’t want to be bothered by you so why do you want to be bothered by me.” Rejection always stings and hurts so it really comforts me to know that God sees my feeble attempts to brighten someone’s day.