John 15:12 This is my COMMANDMENT, That ye LOVE ONE ANOTHER, as I HAVE LOVED YOU. LOVE is DEFINED, At: 1 Corinthians 13. Selfless, Unconditional love. Our Lord Jesus’ love. Jesus is Love. He MODELED love. Love. What is it? Who defines it? What does GOD’S LOVE look like? In 1 Corinthians 13 we read of THE QUALITIES of GOD’S PRECIOUS LOVE. God defines love in 1 Corinthians 13. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; This is Love. Be SENSITIVE. Be CONSIDERATE. Ephesians 4:32 And BE YE KIND ONE TO ANOTHER, TENDERHEARTED, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. The LANGUAGE of LOVE is A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE that is known by people from every nation. Do we have KINDNESS like Jesus did? He would always STOP, and LISTEN, and REACH OUT. The LEPER cried out. The GRIEF STRICKEN. The TORN. And He HEARD them. God is Love. Jesus came and He poured out His life, into people. Jesus stopped, in LOVE, and gave Himself. People weren’t an interruption to Jesus. They were His mission. Charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Love gives and keeps on giving. Our Lord Jesus again DEMONSTRATED this love – as God manifested in the flesh. Jesus stepped down, to our level. He stepped down from heaven’s glory, and into human skin and human shoes. He was – and is – GOD WITH US. Emmanuel. The Lord Jesus, Master of Heaven and earth, was not puffed up. He stoops down and He reaches out in love to you. LOVE is a VERB. JESUS is a VERB. He is LOVE IN ACTION. Love INCARNATE. Love ACTIVE and PASSIONATE. And COMPASSIONATE. 1 Corinthians 13… Verse 5: Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own. There is a dignity and a consideration about it. Love does not seek FOR ITSELF. It seeks TO BLESS. The love of God, incarnate. Jesus Christ the Lord, comes to the downtrodden and the lost. He comes for you and he heals you of your dread disease of sin. He enters into our grief. He shares our heartache and our hurts. He knows pain. He was acquainted with grief. He stepped in, at the funeral of Lazarus. Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Jesus is touched – in other words He feels with our pain… He extends His care and concern for us with a special tenderness of heart. Your pain touches God. Verse 5 goes on, …is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; God’s love is NOT SELFISH. Love FORGIVES. Love does not take account of the evil it suffers. God’s love is all consuming. It should impact every dimension of our lives, and be a factor in all our actions. 1 Corinthians 16:14 Let all your things be done with charity. Do EVERYTHING with lov ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqkS-BOayDc

Want to fly like an eagle? Get stronger in faith? Here’s some flying lessons. How to grow. How to be strong in the Lord. Isaiah 40:28-31 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Some practical pointers on how to be an effective Christian, living the intentional Christian life. The Lord promises His supernatural strength. It all hinges on this word, BUT. It changes everything. BUT they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength – like an eagle, soaring high in the clouds. He is the everlasting God. Power is promised. He is the source. Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. Waiting can be a hard thing to do, BUT waiting is the right thing to do. God will bless you for it. It’s the Biblical pattern. Waiting is hard. But it works. David waited 12 years to become king Joseph waited 13 years in prison for a crime he did not commit Jacob waited 20 years to get possession of his wives and property Abraham waited 25 years for a promised son Moses waited 40 years in the desert before God called him to deliver His people from Egypt Isaac and Rebekah waited twenty years to have children Noah waited 120 years for rain Boaz waited years for Ruth God’s plan meant they had to wait. But the wait was worth it. Wait on God. For His plan. Trust God for your future. Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. While you are waiting, persevere in prayer. Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. We find His strength as we wait upon Him. Trust Him, where He has placed you. He has you where He can do a work in you. Isaiah 49:5 …my God shall be my strength. He revives our strength by His word. Abide in His Word. Be where the Word is. Lay hold of His Word, as serious students, led by God’s unchanging truth. Psalms 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. May we seek after God – and place His will above our own. Psalms 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him… We have to trust Him while we go through things. Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalms 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. He giveth power to the faint. He lifts up the weary. The Lord upholds us with His hand. He revives us. Some birds will eat any old thing. Eagles don’t eat dead things. They are not scavengers. They only eat fresh prey. An eagle can see something the size of a rabbit running at three miles away. They are made to fly higher, to soar. Eagles can achieve 30 mph using powerful wing-beats and even faster when diving after prey. Bald eagles can dive at up to 100 mph; golden eagles at up to 150 mph. Eagles can fly 125 miles in a day during migration depending on the weather conditions and wind currents. An eagle is a powerful bird - they fly high. God wants to renew a right spirit within us. An eagle will mount up with their powerful wings, and fly high above the storm clouds. You can rise above the storm. We can know God’s power supply. A spiritual transformation. There is no shortage of God’s power, of His might, and strength. There is no lack of ability on God’s part. As we strengthen our faith we can become more effective in the Lord's work. Believe in His promises. Recharge. As we gather together in fellowship we can grow and be strengthened together. Participate in church life. His strength is for you, for you to break destructive patterns in your life. God’s supply of strength never diminishes, and it is always available to us. Ephesians 6:10-11 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. He clothes you with His might and power. Walk in the victory you have in Christ. Delight in God. We can know a spiritual refreshing. God’s grace is sufficient. Don’t you just love it that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. Wait on Him. We will see His faithfulness. Keep waiting. It will be worth the wait. May we consecrate and reconsecrate ourselves to this end. He can rejuvenate us. Let’s determine for a life intent on setting… Spiritual goals. A life filled with God’s values. Wait upon the Lord – and you will soar - like an eagle. We can fly higher, and rise above… Above the wind, the storm… He will make you strong. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmv2PXfaCAQ

Do you want a full life? An exposition of David's song in Psalm 84 by Bro Jesse Trumble. Psalms 84:1-12 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! 2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. 3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. 4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah. 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. 6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. 8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. 9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. 10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWCB7ySXW-0

Grace is a central theme of the Bible. It's right through the book. John Bunyan was saved after hearing a sermon about God's grace. Bunyan realised that God's grace was sufficient to forgive him. He called his spiritual autobiography, “Grace Abounding To the Chief of Sinners”. Bunyan wrote his autobiography while serving his 12 year prison sentence in Bedford jail where he was sent for preaching the gospel. Paul praises the grace of God. He tells how Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief; 1 Timothy 1:14. Grace is essential to God's plan for our salvation and is often mentioned in contrast to the law. The law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1:17. God's grace is a gift. We do not deserve it or earn it. God gives from His great treasure store of grace. We receive it by faith, not of works. Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, Genesis 6:8 - the first mention of God's grace in the Word of God. We depend upon the gracious look of God towards us. For the saved, God looks upon us with love and compassion, with his saving grace, rather than His condemnation. God’s character is grace. It's His very nature - 1 Peter 5:10 …the God of all grace… The gospel is called the gospel of grace - the good news story of salvation. Grace is God's kindness towards us. We don't deserve it, but we're glad recipients of it. Grace is God reaching down to man. He's declared us righteous, he's given us his merit, and he's saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, not by works of righteousness which we have done. There's no performance system to save you. The grace of God is the only hope we have. Our only plea. God’s work of grace in human lives is right through the Bible. David was shown grace by God after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed. Paul was given grace to testify of God's grace, and he could say that God's grace was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. God showed grace to Jonah, rescuing him despite his disobedience, and gave him a second commission to preach to Nineveh. God showed grace to Daniel by protecting him from harm and by using Esther to save her people. Peter found God’s grace when he denied the Lord and was restored. God showed Grace to the thief on the cross. He had done nothing to deserve grace, yet our Lord promised him eternal life. Of the early church, it says they knew great power, and great grace was upon them all. Grace should mark the community of faith. May we be agents of His grace, transmitting His gospel message of grace. Grace is something we should exercise with each other too. The best way to know Grace is to look at Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus is full of grace. He is our role model. Grace is the nature of Jesus, the character of Jesus, the heart of Jesus. It's the likeness of Jesus, the embodiment of grace. God's grace is sufficient. His grace is sufficient for you, whatever is going on for you. Grace sustains us, helps us, enables us, lifts us, and fulfils us. Grace also trains us, as Paul writes in Titus 2:11 - the grace of God has appeared to all men, and it tells how we should live. Grace is our personal trainer and life coach. As we take hold of the Word of his grace we'll learn how to be like Jesus and walk in his ways. Grace transforms us from the inside out and enables us to live for God. The Bible talks about grace as being like a language and impacts us practically in how we speak. Our salvation, discipleship, sanctification, and growing in holiness all happens through the power of His grace. Peter exhorts us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Grace starts with humility. Our Lord has made provision for us to receive the gift of salvation. In his prison cell, Bunyan gave all the praise and the glory to the grace of God. Let’s have that same humble spirit. Peter talks about being clothed with humility. May we have a humble heart, and be entirely reliant on the grace of God. Peter tells of grace and peace multiplied. God’s grace can overflow and abound. In summary: Grace is the greatest word in the Bible. May God look upon you with grace as he looked upon Noah. We see the story of the gospel of his grace - and the community of grace - the very Church of God. We should be grace-filled people we should be gracious and graceful people - a community of God's grace. As saved sinners, none of us is deserving. All of us are gratefully rejoicing in the gift of his grace for us. May you know the grace of God given for you in Jesus, and the gospel of His grace. The Lord Jesus humble himself so, to take human form, and be the saviour of the world. May we be a people that would be to His praise. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytH5RDrn7qA