Loving Like Jesus | Small Group Lesson 6: The Secrets of Lasting Love

What would you give to radically improve, even transform what matters most in your relationships? You can thrive in your

career, acquire wealth, or build an excellent reputation. But if your relationships aren't thriving, nothing else matters. Let's explore and begin to practice six foundational principles, including how to give your relationships the highest value, love as Jesus loves you, and communicate from the heart, so we can walk a practical path for fulfilling God's intention in all our relationships, especially the difficult ones.

Welcome to the final session of Loving Like Jesus. Over the past forty days, we've been studying and practicing the attributes of love. We've been working through first Corinthians 13, the famous love chapter of the Bible, line by line. We've seen how love is patient and kind and forgiving. We've learned about love from the example of Jesus, who said, My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

That's our goal: to love like Jesus loved. In this final session, we're going to look at how to love for the long haul. First Corinthians thirteen:seven says, Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. The keyword is always. Love never gives up.

Love endures. Human love doesn't always endure, but God's love is everlasting. Do we love that way? What happens when we grow tired of loving? Or bored?

Or impatient? Or empty? How do we continue to love? Three tips. Number one, remember my mission.

Remember everything we talked about in this study. Love is the most important thing. More important than knowledge or miracles, love is what makes the difference. God created us to love him and to love people. God did not put us here on earth to collect trophies or to earn a reputation or to enjoy the pleasures of this world.

When we remember the purpose for which we were created, we can push through the fatigue and the obstacles. Number two, I need to recharge my batteries. It's hard to love people when you are tired or emotionally depleted. We need to be disciplined in recharging our batteries physically, emotionally, and spiritually. First of all, physically.

Sometimes the best way to equip yourself to love others may be to take a nap. When we're sleep deprived, we can get cranky. Or if we haven't had enough to eat, we can get hangry. We need to refresh physically. We need to refresh emotionally.

We need to balance time alone and time with others. Need both. If you're feeling burned out and you're always around other people all the time, you might need to withdraw for some solitude. On the other hand, you're feeling burned out from being alone all the time, you'll want to spend time with friends in community. We need to pay attention to our emotional health and then we need to replenish spiritually.

We spend time in God's word, we worship with others, just playing some worship music in the car may be a way to refuel a bit. We gather in small groups with folks that spur us on. Angie and I have been part of the same small group for years and I don't think there's any issue our group has not faced. Cancer, job loss, wayward children, you name it. We help each other not only get through tough times, but to see Jesus in tough times.

Find the people who will help you recharge and renew. Thirdly, I need to relinquish my will. Loving others does involve sacrifice. It's putting the need of others ahead of my own needs. It's not about what I want, it's about what the other needs.

I die to my own ego and desires and I love and I serve others. I relinquish my will. How often? Every day. Every minute I need to do that.

God is love. And when we receive God, we receive love and we become able to really love others. Maybe you're not sure if you've ever received God in real way. You can do that anytime and any place. You just say to God, God, you are true love.

You showed your love for me at a cross called Calvary. The death of Jesus fully paid for all my sins and made life with you possible. Come into my life God and guide me all of my days. In Jesus name, Amen. That is step one toward becoming a more loving person.

Receive God and God's love. As we wind down this study on loving like Jesus, I'd like to hear from you. What stood out to you in our study? How was your group experience? How are you learning to love like Jesus?

And you can write me at Scott. Mckeeward. Church. That's my name, Scott. Mckeeward.

Church. Write me anytime, I'd love to hear from you. Thank you so much for joining us for this group experience. I look forward to being with you again for a future study. I'd like to close by praying a prayer of blessing over you and over your group.

Would you please bow your head wherever you are if you're if you're able to do so? Oh God, we pray now a blessing over every person who participated in this study. We thank you for your amazing, limitless, boundless love. Teach us what it means to receive your love, to live in your love, to be transformed by your love, so that we can become conduits of your love and grace and mercy. We pray your blessing and provision for all the marriages represented in this group, all the parenting relationships represented in these groups, for all the friendships represented.

God, may all of our relationships honor you and be healthy and affirming. And Father wherever there's brokenness now, we pray that you would be the God of restoration. That you would mend and restore that which is broken. That you would be honored and glorified. That our relationships would reflect Jesus and his principles.

So we seek your blessing and your goodness over every person now we pray through Christ our Lord, Amen. Amen, thanks for joining us for this study and God bless you all.