Is Your Love Tank Full?
Am service April 6th 2008
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13
Introduction
Well noted author and marriage counselor Dr. Gary Chapman is very famous for his Book the “Five Love Languages”. He wrote the book and developed this system of identifying what makes your mate feel loved, what is it that really makes him or her feel like you love them. The five love languages according to Dr. Chapman are:
1. Words of affirmation. If that is your mates love language then when you compliment them or speak words to affirm them then they feel like you love them.
2. Quality Time. Your mate feels most loved when you spend physical time together, doing activities that they love to do.
3. Receiving Gifts. People who speak this love language often feel that a lack of gifts represents a lack of love from their mate.
4. Acts of Service. If this is your love language then when your mate does chores around the house that you would otherwise have to do, then you feel the most loved.
5. Physical Touch. Many mates feel the most loved when they receive physical contact from their partner.
Once you learn your mates love language you are taught by Dr. Chapman to do frequent love tank check ups on your mate to see how full or empty their love tank is, if it is empty then you need to work on filling it.
Just like in our physical relationships we have a love tank, we also have a spiritual love tank, when our spiritual love tank is full we will tend to do more spiritual things such as pray, study the bible, attend worship services, give more to the poor or needy. But when our spiritual love tank is low or empty we tend to not be so spiritual. This morning the apostle Paul is going to give the Thessalonians a couple of indicators they can watch to make sure that their spiritual love tank stays full, and then the result of keeping their spiritual love tank full.
Read Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13
I. Your Love tank is full if, you can pray for the needs of others.
Vs. 11 “Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you.”
The Apostle Paul in the middle of this book breaks into a prayer. In doing so it teaches us vital spiritual lesson, because there is no doubt that Paul could have listed all the things that he is going through, imprisoned, beaten for the gospel. In verse 10 he says, “Night and day we pray most earnestly that we see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith”
Paul’s spiritual love tank is so full, that he prays for the needs of others. When we get to the point in our Christian journey that we are ceasing first of all pray then that is a serious indicator that you are running on fumes in your spiritual love tank, you need to be at this altar this morning crying out to Jesus because you are in such a serious spiritual dilemma that you cannot even pray.
We also need to bring our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ before the Lord, that the Lord would supply their needs. When was the last time you flooded the throne room in heaven with the need of a brother or sister in Christ. If we get to the point in our spiritual lives that we cannot earnestly and honestly pray for others then that is an indicator that our spiritual love tank is running low.
II. Your Love tank is full if, you can Love the unlovable.
Vs. 12 “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”
Not only is your prayer life an indicator of your spiritual love tank, but also the love that you have for others.
It is easy to love those that love you back, or treat you with respect. When our spiritual love tanks are full, love should exude from our lives, it should overflow. This means that not only will we love those that love us back, but we will also love: the sick, the hateful, the enemy, the murder, the unclean, the homeless, the prisoner, the poor, the sinner, the addict.
How in the world can we love some of these people? How can we abound in love for them? How is it possible to love those who do evil to us and who treat us as enemies? Is it even humanly possible to love everyone regardless of who they are or what they’ve done with there lives? The answer is NO!
It is not humanly possible for us to love those that hate us and who stand as enemies against us. But there is a way, when we are filled with the presence of almighty God in that of His Holy Spirit, then we are filled with His perfect Love. The Love that He has for us. We who while we were still yet sinners, Christ died for us.
When your spiritual love tank is full, then you can do the humanly impossible and love the unlovable.
III. The result of your Love tank being full, is to stand unblamable before God.
Vs. 13 “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”
The great result of your love tank being full is to be presented to God unblamable. The word blameless means to be free from fault or blame; to be free from all charges.
Paul is saying continue to pray, keeping loving, so that one day when you meet Jesus, you can stand without fault. As believer’s we will stand before God as blameless, however we will have togive an account for what we do as Chrisitans.
Conclusion
How is your spiritual love tank, is it running on fumes, or is it full. Only you know the answer to that question. If you are at the point in your spiritual life that you can’t pray then there is something standing between you and God that is affecting your spiritual love tank. If you are holding on to anger toward others and you are a believer then that will cause your spiritual love tank to run low. Maybe you need a trip to this altar and confess something before the Lord, so that the can replenish your spiritual love tank.
