Youth Service #2: God's Love

God's Love
Speaker: Ariel Dy


Why do we love?
- "We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen" 1 John 4:19-20
          - We learned how to love because God loved us first
          - God is the one who taught us to love by creating us and giving up His only son, Jesus
- "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7-8


God's Love, Our Security
- Worldly thing will not last forever. Think about it, when we leave this world will we be able to bring our material things? 
- "yes, this is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten." Jeremiah 29:17
          - This passage means that we should not be insecure
          - We must be able to face the problems God sets in front of us so that we can strengthen our faith and live our lives for God's kingdom. After all this world is just a testing ground, what we should be aiming for/striving to reach is the Kingdom of God. A place wherein no sadness, no hatred and fear will ever touch us, only the glory of God embracing our souls.


Eternal Life
- "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." 
- "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10
          - All the verses seems to be the same....they ARE the SAME. The new testament speaks about God's Kingdom on earth and in heaven also God's love, glory and salvation for human kind. 


- Why must we pray to God, shouldn't He know what I need?
     - We pray to God so that we can be aware of what we need
     - God knows what we need but we must understand why we need them by praying to God
     - It also creates a stronger relationship with God
     - By communicating with God blessing will overflow


- "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?As it is written:
   “For your sake we face death all day long;
   we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39
          - God's love is always present but we should not abuse this
          - All things has consequences, so that we can learn from the mistakes we make and grow

EQUATION:
Forgiveness + Security + Salvation = God's Love

Questions:
1. How did God show His love to me?
          - Big and small blessings: My friends and the opportunity to live in this time. For answering my prayers, like giving me the scholarship something I never knew I could possible get.
          - Creating me.
          - Helping me in times of need: He was there when I needed someone the most. There are times that I would cry to Him, tell Him all the things that hurts me, my sins and my shame then He would give me comfort, peace and answers. He is the reason why I am still standing. I stand on solid ground, God's solid ground.
          - If I didn't know God, I would be in great trouble, I would be in constant pain and sadness.
2. How can you show God's Love to others?
          - My actions: I am always concern for my friends....always.
          - Prayers: Though it can not be seen, I hope that others will feel the presence of God, changing their lives for the better
          - Words: Saying things that will speak the truth despite hurting someone's feelings. I would rather see them hurt because of the truth rather to have them stumble because I didn't do anything. If that happens, there will be a part of me that will always regret not saying anything.
          - Persistent in learning more about God: Though I must say, I am failing this part, I have to try harder. I do not want to miss something important in God's kingdom especially now that so many things are happening in our world.