A great temptation for Christians is relating to God in a mercenary fashion. We desire to use God in order to further our own purposes. Even when we want to serve God, we place limits upon our obedience. Accepting Jesus as Lord combats this tendency. Instead of acting as if God exists to serve us, we live our lives striving to serve him--no matter what the cost.

In the life of Jesus Christ, we see a living example of the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus modeled love, but He did so in a way that challenges our culture’s understanding of love. In this passage Jesus shows that love is more than romance or a feeling. Fundamentally, love is an action. Jesus demonstrates His love for the disciples by moving straight to where they are least attractive—their feet. We tend to avoid loving less attractive people. We like to love beautiful people so that we can feel better about ourselves.

All of us are seeking a verdict. Whether it’s the anxiety we feel when we go out on a date with someone we like or when we are interviewed for a job, we need to know that we have passed the test. In the beatitudes Jesus teaches that only those who are poor in spirit, only those who rely on Jesus’ record instead of their own, can pass the ultimate test—whether we can enter the Kingdom of God.

Additional scriptural references made in this sermon are: John 3:3; Romans 3:10.

If we understand that God is our Father, we know that we are absolutely safe with him and that we will always have a home with him. Once we realize this, we can form a covenant with God and celebrate in his love for us.

Anger has the power to disintegrate our health, our communities, and our individual wisdom. However, anger can be a good thing; it is an attribute of God and of anyone who loves. The key to healing anger is to find out what you truly love and why your anger is out of control.