Love is…Loving God and Enjoying Him!

Love is…Loving God and Enjoying Him! Are you preparing yourself to love and serve those in need!                             Kelly Durant   2-20-2011
Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul
What is Love?  The dictionary defines love as: a deep and tender feeling of affection for or attachment or devotion to a person or persons. I think we should add to God, or the person of Jesus Christ to this definition. Love is expressed in many ways, even in art.

I am not sure if you have seen this famous painting? The story behind it is back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.

Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer the Elder's children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy of Art.

After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg.

Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you."

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No ...no ...no ...no."

Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look, look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ... for me it is too late." For love and gratitude this paining has been famous for more than 450 years. These are the battered hands of the brother who never got to fulfill his dream!
In theology, there are certain doctrines. We learned that at the Westminster Seminary, which the Salvation Army respects, that it was determined in 1647 a principle.  What is the chief end of man? Or rephrased, what is your ultimate purpose while you live on earth?
It is easy to say, we all know it is to love God and our neighbor as our self, but how can we define how we will do this a little better?

Doctrine: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! God made all creation for us to enjoy!
How are you glorifying God do you really enjoy God?...
Glorifying and enjoying God is not limited to the church as the society would have you believe. Some people expect the church, or the preacher, or Captains, to be the ones providing the entertainment and enjoyment. Too many churches are in the entertainment business today!
And the mega churches and mega TV shows of today have become elaborate entertainment systems comparable to any concert of any great performer. Sometimes these events with thousands are good but they are not the foundation for obtaining maturity, serving God, or connecting with others in love.
You personally glorifying God implies a lot more than you getting enjoyment out of a message or music show in a setting where personal friendships, and a real connection of love with another brother or sister is not the situation.
Love for God and others is a devotion you are practicing at home and you then you bring it to the Corps for all of us to share it together! If you come to get inspiration that is selfish and you may get disillusioned, as mature Christians you should come to give the love! Like one couple one time that in a Corp that were being distant and critical. One Sunday they said, we didn’t feel the spirit today. I replied well, a few dozen people told me that they did feel it, a few dozen prayed, so I can only assume it is the spirit not with you because you came predisposed to not feel it!
For me to enjoy and love God is to serve Him and see lives changed! Last Thursday afternoon, Regina, gave a sermon to the people who get food while they were waiting out in the hot sun, and many got convicted and about 100 repeated the sinners prayer with her! I was excited inside! I really get pleasure from seeing other people being touched by the Holy Spirit, don’t you? You know they are feeling God’s love, the best feeling in the world!

Loving God together is like when we give out the food, those of us who give in out feel as much happiness as those that receive. Love is filling a need. Why do 1 million soldiers and 2 more million volunteers choose to serve others through the Salvation Army? Because it is the most fulfilling way to love and enjoy God there is!

And I want to tell you some of you have been missing out on the blessings you could be getting but you are not present when good things were happening!
Have you ever thought about what is on your resume for God? If you are to glorify Him and enjoy Him, how do you do that? What do you study and how intensely? What is your experience? How many hours do you invest telling others about God and his love? Did you mention anything to anyone last week about your love for God? Are you studying God’s word? How many minutes a day?
If I were to ask you, show me what preparation have you done in the past 5 years to help others understand more about God and His love what could you show? Do you really have much to show for how you love and glorify God?
But on your resume of things you are learning for God’s glory some of you could show me few weekends of leadership training. (And I hope many of you go to the one coming up in March) Some could show me your notes from your Bible studies, Others of you could show me a few more proofs, but the reality is some of you are behind in knowing as much as you should on how to love others with the gospel.
What does your Love for God resume look like? I don’t expect you to have all of what I have here, these things I have learned after 3 decades but this could given you be something to think about from my example.

Bible: Read it several dozen times, and many the commentaries.

Sermons: Heard and read many hundreds

Praise: Learned a few hundred songs, in English and Spanish

Theology: SFOT Salvation Army College, (w/Trevecca Nazarene College)

Disaster Services: Certified for Critical Incident Stress Management, and Ministry support, Certified DUI instructor

Evangelism trainer: The SA National Seminar, and 14 years evangelistic experience in South America.

ESOL Teacher, Guitar teacher, private tutor

American Sign Language: ASL, worked in the deaf community teaching the Bible and completed a courses to work with the deaf-blind from the Hellen Keller Institute.

I lived in 5 different countries, and learned 3 additional languages.

Do you know why I learned all of these things? Because God put me into situations that I had to learn these things: it was either swim or sink!

I had to let God remake everything about me so I could acquire the ability to have a sincere interest in loving people in order to minister to them because that is what God commanded me to do! I started with a blank paper signed and later God filed it in!
But how can you love people unless you learn about their specific needs, understand their language and culture, and actually do hands on experience serving them? I am asking you…how much do you really know and do?
How much does God expect you to know? The situation is He is always waiting on you, waiting on you to decide to love more, to become more mature and to be more willing to be remade into something useful so he can bless and love you more!
Think of church like a bank, you can only withdraw what you put in! All of us need to put our hearts into doing more with God to show our love for Him.
You could also show up not to work, but just to read in the library or pray in the chapel, or practice music and sing praising God, or dance like Jimmy. Most of you are not taking advantage of the resources that are yours here always.  

God can show you what you need. James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Love for God and others will cause you to work hard at improving your resume knowledge and experience for him, about how to serve others in His creation, about how to love others into His Kingdom! It starts with you, then the connections in the church, then connections with the whole world around us! God will take you far with His love, you just need to be willing to go there.