How to Show Your Love
This month, we’re talking about families. . . Does your family ever drive you crazy?
In the book, “Children’s Letters to God: The New Collection”, a little girl named, Nan, writes this letter: “Dear God, I bet it is very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only four people in our family and I have trouble loving them!”
Source: Paul Larsen on Sermoncentral.com
“Love” is a very popular word in our society. I went and typed in the word “love” on “Yahoo Launch” this week. I couldn’t believe how many songs popped up with that word.
Amazon.com lists:
2,652 book titles regarding “Heaven,”
10,304 for “Money,”
16,765 for “Sex,”
18,818 for “God,” and
30,066 for “Love.”
Everyone wants love. . . but not too many people are actually finding it. When basically 50% of marriages are ending in divorce, do you ever wonder why it’s different now? Is it even possible to find the true lasting love that we all dream about?
Let me first say what love is NOT:
- Not a warm, fuzzy feeling.
- Not sex.
Too much love in this world is like this letter:
Dearest Jimmy,
No words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking off our engagement. Please say you’ll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love you, I love you!
Yours Forever, Marie
P.S. And congratulations on winning the state lottery!!!
On Valentines Day, there are three things that you need to know:
1. The Best Use of Life is Love.
Mark 12:30 ’And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
31 "And the second, like it, is this: ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these."
If we were to take a truckload of all the marriage and family and relationship books and techniques and advice, and combine it all into one statement, it would be verse 31: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
There’s nothing better you can do than these 2 things:
- Love God with all your heart.
- Love your neighbor as yourself.
Simply, there is nothing better you can do with your life than to use it to love God and others.
1 John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Because God is love, the most important lesson he wants you to learn on earth is how to love. - Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life
There’s a reason why God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” That reason is because he created you to love.
“Life is not measured by how much one owns. ..." (Luke 12:15, NCV)
God did not create you to:
- Make money
“Life is not measured by how much one owns. ..." (Luke 12:15, NCV)
- Have fun
Ecclesiastes 2:1 “I said in my heart...I will test you with pleasure...but this also proved meaningless.” (NIV)
- Be successful in business.
- Get a position of power.
- Have a family.
God created you to love Him and others.
In other words, love is not just a feeling – it’s an action. It doesn’t show itself automatically – it’s something you have to choose to show.
How can I show love best?
2. The Best Expression of Love is Time.
1 Thessalonians 2:8 “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”
People try to show love in many different ways. I shared this quote last week, but it’s worth repeating here:
There’s a guy who tried to show his love – he just didn’t use the BEST expression of love!
Too often, people try to share their LIFE without sharing their TIME! That’s simply not possible. . . because TIME is the stuff that LIFE is made up of.
1. Work.
2. Television.
3. Radio.
4. Internet.
5. A billion other things.
Guys, let me just tell you what she wants: It’s NOT a house that is 3,500 square feet of marble halls. It’s not a boat that’s worth half a million. It’s not a diamond ring that weighs her hand down. She wants YOU!
So how should I give my time to my wife and kids? How should you give your time to your husband?
A. Give your time to each other in communication.
Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Hebrews 3:13 “Encourage one another daily. . .”
B. Give your time to each other in service.
An exhaustive study shows that no woman has ever shot her husband while he was doing the dishes. - Earl Wilson
C. Give your time to each other in getting closer to God.
So the old cliche’ is true – the family that prays together really does stay together! That’s why I’m glad you’re here this morning – and why I hope you’ll be back next week!
If all the family is getting closer to God, all the family will get closer to each other.
D. Give your time to each other in the “FUN” stuff.
Guys, I want you to DATE your wife. This is a true statement: If there was more courtship in marriage, there would be fewer marriages in court!
If parents spent time with their kids doing something enjoyable with the whole family, there would be fewer families shattered.
NOW, YOU’RE PROBABLY thinking: “WHERE IS THIS TIME SUPPOSED TO COME FROM?” I’m so busy already!!!
There’s only one place it can come from: You’ve got to subtract something else from your life! You’ve got to build in some “margin” in your life that will allow you to do this!
- It might mean less television. (That’s one of the reasons I don’t have one.)
- It might mean fewer hours at work.
- It might mean dropping a hobby.
- It might mean getting up a little earlier.
Whatever it means in your life
3. The Best Time to Love is Now.
James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Don’t wait until:
- The divorce papers are served.
- The kids are hurting and without a daddy.
- The resentment has already built up too high.
- The son/daughter has to move out.
Friends, there comes a time when it’s time to stop talking, and start acting. We’ve reached that point of the service. Most of you know that in your marriage, you could show love like I just said.
Men, you know you could do that for your wives.
Ladies, you know you could choose to do that for your husbands.
Parents, you know you could apply this to your family life and really make a difference in you and your child’s relationship.
Now, the time has come to act.
Let me give you several specific action steps you can take this week.
1. Schedule a date with your wife before you get home.
2. Plan an evening or two with your family each week where the TV stays unplugged.
3. Start a new family habit tonight – read a Scripture together and pray together every night.
4. If you are not a Christian, choose to become one today.
1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
NOTE: I am indebted for this outline to Rick Warren. However, none of the rest of it can be blamed on him. (Even my choice of Scriptures.)
Living With Your Family Without Losing Your Mind
How to show love. . .On Valentines Day, there are three things that you need to know:
1. The Best Use of Life is ___________.
Mark 12:30 ’And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
31 "And the second, like it, is this: ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these."
There is nothing ____________ you can do with your life than to use it to love ________ and ____________.
1 John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
The word love that we’re talking about here is used in the New Testament _______ times as a noun and ________ times as a verb.
In other words, love is not just a feeling – it’s an _____________.
2. The Best Expression of Love is ____________.
1 Thessalonians 2:8 “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”
Too often, people try to share their ___________ without sharing their ___________!
What are some ways I can give my time to my family?
A. Give your time to each other in __________________.
Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens. . .”
Hebrews 3:13 “Encourage one another daily. . .”
Newsweek reports that the average couple only spends _______ _______________ a day talking to each other.
B. Give your time to each other in _____________.
An exhaustive study shows that no woman has ever shot her husband while he was doing the ______________. - Earl Wilson
C. Give your time to each other in getting closer to ______.
Marriage and Divorce magazine discovered that
- one out of every ______ marriages ends in divorce,
- but when the couple is married in a church ceremony, and they attend church regularly, and they pray and read the Bible together, then the chances for divorce drop to one out of _________.
If all the family is getting closer to ________, all the family will get closer to ___________ ____________.
D. Give your time to each other in the “_________” stuff.
3. The Best Time to Love is __________.
James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Action steps you can take this week.
1. Schedule a date with your wife before you get home.
2. Plan an evening or two with your family each week where the TV stays unplugged.
3. Start a new family habit tonight – read a Scripture together and pray together every night.
4. If you are not a Christian, choose to become one today.
1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
