MEMORISE:
But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. Acts 4:19
READ: Romans 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
MESSAGE
An obsession is an excessive devotion to someone or something, even to the point of personal loss, injury or death. The word is often applied in a negative sense, but the Bible tells us that Jesus loved and obeyed God to the point of obsession. The word of God counsels us to develop the particular kind of mind that was in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5-8 says:
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus….. being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Jesus during His earthly ministry loved God and was obedient to His commandments even to the point of death- an excruciating death on the cross. God therefore expects all His children to follow Christ’s example by loving Him with all our being. If you have ever been so deeply and passionately in love with someone to the point of obsession, you may lose your appetite and forget to eat, your mind may become occupied with nothing else but that person. This kind of positive obsession is hinged on love. Matthew 22:37-38 has this to say:
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”
Therefore, we are enjoined to first and foremost love God with all our hearts, because we need to have the love of God before we can truly appreciate what love is and then reciprocate by showing love to others. 1 John 4:7-8 says: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” As Christians, we must obsessively love God with all our being, and always radiate His love to our neighbors.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please give me the grace to love You with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my mind, in the Mighty Name of Jesus.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 102-104.
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 11: I AM SO GLAD THAT OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.
1. I am so glad that our Father in Heav’n
Tells of His love in the Book He has giv’n;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see,
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.
o Refrain:
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me;
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.
2. If I forget Him and wander away,
Still He doth love me wherever I stray;
Back to His dear loving arms would I flee,
When I remember that Jesus loves me.
3. Oh, if there’s only one song I can sing,
When in His beauty I see the great King,
This shall my song through eternity be,
“Oh, what a wonder that Jesus loves me!”
4. Jesus loves me, and I know I love Him;
Love brought Him down my poor soul to redeem;
Yes, it was love made Him die on the tree;
Oh, I am certain that Jesus loves me!
5. If one should ask of me, how can I tell?
Glory to Jesus, I know very well!
God’s Holy Spirit with mine doth agree,
Constantly witnessing Jesus loves me.
6. In this assurance I find sweetest rest,
Trusting in Jesus, I know I am blest;
Satan, dismayed, from my soul now doth flee,
When I just tell him that Jesus loves me.
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