Living the Sweetest Life Possible

2007 Message Series

Living the Sweetest Life Possible

April 15, 2007
Expressing Love When You’d Rather Hate

But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always critical and catty, watch out! Beware of ruining each other...when you follow your own wrong inclinations, your lives will produce these evil results...hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group...
(Galatians 5:15, 19-20 - Living Bible)

What's Love Got To Do With It?
...Let us practice loving each other, for love comes from God...God is love...
(1 John 4:7, 16- Living Bible)

The source of real love!
The scope of real love!
The strength of real love!

Three Questions About Love

Who do you love?
There is a saying. 'Love your friends and hate your enemies. But I say: Love your enemies! (Matthew 5:43 - LB)

...never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for He has said that He will repay instead, feed your enemy if he is hungry. If he is thirsty give him something to drink and you will be "heaping coals of fire on his head." (Romans 12:19-20 - LB)

How do you love?
Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and alway stand your ground in defending him. (1 Corinthians 13:407 - LB)

Why do you Love?
God showed how much he loved us by sending His only Son into this wicked world to bring to us eternal life through His death. In this act we see what real love is...since God loved us as much as that, we surely ought to love each other too. (1 John 4:9-11 - LB)

Express Love When You'd Rather Choose Hate!
Don't just pretend that you love others: really love them...(Romans 12:9 - LB)

When we don't love we Dishonor God!
When we don't love we Destroy ourselves!

April 22, 2007
Choosing Joy When Life’s Got You Down

Understanding Joy
When the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us (Galatians 5:22 - LB)

Joy is an attitude not an emotion.
Joy is internal not external.
Joy comes from God not from ourselves.

Experiencing joy

Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - LB)

Always be full of joy in the lord; I say it again, rejoice!...Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank him for his answers...Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4)

Active positive thinking
Initiate positive action (pray about it)
Emulate positive examples
Demonstrate positive commitment
Celebrate positive promises

Choosing Joy

Everything can be taken away from a man, but one thing: the last of all human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. (Victor Frankl)

Joy can be yours, but you have ot choose it!
Joy can be yours, but you can lose it!

April 29, 2007
Finding Peace In Spite Of Your Pain, Your Problems And Your Past

May 6, 2007
Growing Patience In The Face Of Pressure

We Americans are an impatient lot. All of us have a "wait" problem. Delays are irritating. Aggravating. Nerve-jangling. With impatient predictability we are consistently - and I might add - obnoxiously demanding. We want what we want WHEN we want it. We are an impatient nation and it is only getting worse.

Patience: A Universal Problem!

Pressure Problem 1: we have to wait
Pressure Problem 2: we expect to much
Pressure Problem 3: we want our own way

Patience: A Positive Example! - Joseph (Genesis 37 - 50)

He was patient when suffering mistreatment
He was patient when feeling betrayed
He was patient when facing revenge
He was patient when experiencing delays

Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowances for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:12 - 14 - NLT)

Patience: A Personal Choice!

...when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us...patience...(Galatians 5:22 - LB)

Between stimilous and response there is a space where we can choose HOW we respond to anything and everything. (Stephen Covey)

Stimulous (Hit The Pause Button) Response

Patience: Some Important Applications

Delays are inevitable , so expect them!
People are imperfect , accept them!
All of us are sinful , admit it!
Our God is faithful , trust Him!

May 13, 2007
Being Gentle Is More Than Manners

Three Kindness Killers
Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, gog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags addicted to lust, and allergic to God. (2 Timothy 3:1-4 - Msg)

Kindness Killer 1: Rudeness
Kindness Killer 2: Busyness
Kindness Killer 3:Selfishness

Kindness: a Case Study

A Dead Dog To A King's Son - Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9:1-13)

The kindness was completely undeserved
The kindness was totally unexpected
The kindness was absolutely unbelievedable

Kindness What It Looks Like In The Real World

Here's what I want you to do...steadily, pouring yourselves out fro each other in acts of love. (Ephesians 4:2 - Msg)

What do you want me to do when I arrive? Do you want me to be hard on you or to be kind and gentle? (1 Corinthians 4:21 - CEV)

I, Paul, make my appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of christ...(2 Corinthians 10:1 - GW)

Kindness is active
Kindness is tangible
Kindness is unconditional
Kindness is life changing

It is said that in the ancient world the early Christians were sometimes called the Kind Ones rather than Christians. This is due in part to the fact that there is just one letter of difference in the word for Christ (christos) and the word for kindness (chrestos). People were confused about the name. I would think that it is also due to the fact that the early chruch demonstrated the kind of life that would make them live up to both names. My hope is that the people of our age will also be confused as to whatever we are Christians of the Kind Ones. Let us strive to live up to both names. (Chuck Swindoll)

May 20, 2007
Doing Good In A Big, Bad World

May 27, 2007
Remaining Faithful When You Want To Give Up

June 3, 2007
Being Meek Is Not Weak

June 10, 2007
Controlling Yourself Even When It’s Hard