LIVE GIVE SERVE LIKE YOU LOVE GOD

Live, Give, Serve Like You Love God

Last Sunday was an awesome day at FBC Canton as we worshiped the one true living God! The Holy Spirit had freedom to move, and we saw lives transformed. It was a great start to the summer! After the incredible worship, powerful choir anthem and the deep look into the Word of God, I heard something incredible. I heard passionate prayer come out of the mouth of David Whitmire. I am not saying that other people have not been sincere in their prayers, but I am saying that for that one special moment, David Whitmire let us hear his heart. I have great respect for David. His walk with the Lord is evident in his attitude, his behavior and his love for others. On Sunday he made a statement that blew me away. As he was praying for the offertory prayer, he said that we need to “give like we love God.” That is the first time I have heard it said like that. Am I giving like I love God or am I giving out of a sense of responsibility or with the wrong motive? What does it mean to give like we love God?

I think we only need to go as far as Jesus’ example to answer that question. How did Jesus love us? How did He to prove His love for you and for me? The key to the way He loved and still loves is sacrifice. He gave Himself for us so that we might have eternal life. So then how do we give sacrificially? “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this” (Malachi 3:10), says the Lord Almighty. How do I live sacrificially? “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). How do we serve sacrificially? “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100).

Take a moment and examine your life. Are you living like you love God? Are you giving like you love God? Are you serving like you love God? If you are not, then begin living the sacrificial life today. If you are, then continue loving for the honor of His name.

Passionately Loving God,
Aaron