Perfect Love

(The following is based on Matthew 5: 43-38, sermon from Pastor Boone, 3/29/09)

Perfection is spelled: L-O-V-E.

Jesus says to love your friends AND LOVE YOUR ENEMIES!! Get that? That means if you love someone with all you have and they don't love you back--LOVE THEM ANYWAY. Something else to think about...what if our enemies really are just wounded friends?

Perfect love is tracing around the hand & the heart of God. The pattern of love for our own lives should match that of God's. What's on the fridge in God's kitchen?...Jesus' handprints--nail-scarred handprints...MAGNIFICENT LOVE!

Love is L-shaped, not U-shaped. Now, think about this. Being L-shaped, love flows into us from God and continues flowing out toward others. Nobody ever said it has to come back...

God's love is powerfully gentle. There is NOTHING that will stand up to God's love...it just keeps flowing...no matter what.

God's love is impartial and accepts others for who they are.

Perfect love adds up to a decision. The more you love, the more you pray. The more you pray, the more you love.

Nothing shows your Christian witness more than when you show perfect love.

Perfect love is not an option...it's a command.

Hey, God...thanks for giving me this peaceful, quiet time as I sit here in my living room...thank you for allowing me to experience your true beauty this morning as I look out the window and see complete stillness...what an awesome reminder for me to be still and know that you are God! Thank You so much for giving me the desire to get up out of bed to study Your Word and put into practice that which You taught me in worship this week. God, I pray that You will dwell in my heart by faith; that I, being rooted and grounded in love, am able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know Your love, which passeth knowledge, that I can be filled with all the fullness of You. I'll talk to You in a little bit...