{"id":300315,"date":"2018-07-27T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-07-27T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/love-god-not-the-world-part-2\/"},"modified":"2024-10-07T22:41:29","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T02:41:29","slug":"love-god-not-the-world-part-2","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/love-god-not-the-world-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Love God, Not the World, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>guest: Dennis Rainey | Series: Choosing a Life that Matters: Love God | Has love for an idol replaced your love for God? Dennis Rainey, author of &#8220;Choosing a Life That Matters,&#8221; talks about one of seven principles that will help you live life to the fullest. Rainey remembers how God pursued him in 1968 when he was a college student. Convicted, he asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior, and he went from being a mission field to a missionary.Show Notes &#038; ResourcesDennis Rainey and Bob Lepine discuss the first two chapters of Choosing a Life that Matters &#8216;Seek God, not sin&#8217; and &#8216;Fear God, not men.&#8217;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dennis Rainey talks about one of seven principles that will help you live life to the fullest. Rainey remembers how he went from being a mission field to a missionary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2018-07-27.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:26:35","filesize":"24.34M","filesize_raw":"25527319","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822,2814,2806],"tags":[4469,4321,4133,4473,4470,4472,4471],"podcast_series":[7234],"cwp_profile":[3048],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-300315","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","category-releasing-your-child","category-spiritual-development","tag-choosing-a-life-that-matters","tag-college-student","tag-coming-to-christ","tag-idols","tag-principles","tag-pursuing-god","tag-what-really-matters","podcast_series-choosing-a-life-that-matters-love-god","cwp_profile-dennis-rainey","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/300315\/love-god-not-the-world-part-2","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/300315\/love-god-not-the-world-part-2","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"QPxUyuw1oM\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/love-god-not-the-world-part-2\/\">Love God, Not the World, Part 2<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/love-god-not-the-world-part-2\/embed\/#?secret=QPxUyuw1oM\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Love God, Not the World, Part 2&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"QPxUyuw1oM\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Dennis Rainey talks about one of seven principles that will help you live life to the fullest. Rainey remembers how he went from being a mission field to a missionary.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2018-07-27.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Does your faith have substance to it, or is it a collection of platitudes? Here\u2019s Dennis Rainey. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I think we, as Christians, are very good about clich\u00e9s. One of the clich\u00e9s we are really good about\u2014and it can become a very trite, almost meaningless phrase\u2014is \u201cLove God.\u201d \u201cDo you love God?\u201d \u201cOh, sure, I love God.\u201d \u201cDo you love Him with all your heart?\u2014all your soul?\u2014all your mind?\u201d Well, that\u2019s a better question; isn\u2019t it? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Friday, July 27<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine. It\u2019s one thing for us to say we love God; it\u2019s something else, altogether, for that love to be manifest in how we live. We\u2019ll talk about that today. Stay with us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou want to spend some time having us direct our affections today; right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I do. We are talking about <em>Choosing a Life That Matters<\/em>. To do that, you have to choose Jesus Christ and get in the process of getting to know Him and His plan for your life; because He\u2019s the one who\u2019s got the plan that really does matter for your life. I wrote a little book called <em>Choosing a Life That Matters<\/em>, and it\u2019s subtitled <em>7 Decisions You\u2019ll Never Regret<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tActually, the first time I crafted this message, it was a commencement address to seminarians and university students about to get their diplomas. I asked the question: \u201cWhat do you say to somebody who has heard it all?\u201d\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014been to seminary for a number of years. I thought, \u201cI just need to see if I can\u2019t distill out what the Bible commands us to do.\u201d I came up with seven of them: seek God, not sin; fear God, not men\u2014the one we\u2019re going to talk about today\u2014love God, not the world; believe God, not the deceiver; obey God, not your feelings; worship God, not comfort; and serve God, not self.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEarlier, we talked about loving God. We talked about how you need to do an inventory of your heart\u2014treat your heart like a warehouse\u2014and walk up and down the aisles of your warehouse of your heart and see what kinds of idols are stored there. We manufacture them; we collect them; we keep them and just\u2014quite so often, I think we need to have a clearance sale and bust them all out of there. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Bob:<\/strong> I think it was Tim Keller, who I first read who said, \u201cAn idol is a good thing that becomes a god-thing\u2014that takes the place of God.\u201d So, when you are clearing out the idols, it doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t have good things in your life. It means when those things become more valuable\/more important\/more significant than God is, now, we\u2019ve got a problem. Something is competing for first place in your life; and God says, \u201cI\u2019m the only person who ought to have first place in your life.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes; I think we, as Christians, are very good about clich\u00e9s. One of the clich\u00e9s we\u2019re really good about\u2014and it can become a very trite almost meaningless phrase\u2014is \u201cLove God.\u201d \u201cDo you love God?\u201d \u201cOh, sure, I love God.\u201d \u201cDo you love Him with all your heart?\u2014all your soul?\u2014all your mind?\u201d Well, that\u2019s a better question; isn\u2019t it? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That\u2019s really what Jesus commanded us to do in Matthew 22:37\u2014He said, \u201cYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.\u201d That\u2019s what we\u2019re to be doing. If you want to learn to love God, you\u2019ve got to think about it holistically in your life. It does begin, as I mentioned earlier, by taking an inventory; but it doesn\u2019t need to stop there. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think the second thing we need to do is\u2014I think we need to get in touch with how God loves us. 1 John, Chapter 4, verse 19 says, \u201cWe love Him because He first loved us.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Now, that\u2019s a real key. If you want to learn how to love God, then you need to spend some time in the Scripture, discovering the magnificent love of God displayed in the person of Jesus Christ in the gospel\u2014that went to the cross to die for all your idols, for all of your sin, for all of the wrong-doing\u2014all of the times you\u2019ve broken God\u2019s laws. I think, as you study the love of God\u2014that it is that love that can begin to turn your life around and transform the affections of your heart. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Bob:<\/strong> I\u2019ve heard you say that it was God\u2019s love that chased you down the summer before your junior year in college; right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> In 1968, I pretty much lived for myself and was totally preoccupied with self. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI sat in a Bible study\u2014there, as I recall, there were five of us in that Bible study. There was a cute girl in that Bible study, so that\u2019s probably one of the reasons why I was there; but the pastor took me to Romans, Chapter 3. It was there I began to understand that God had died on a cross when I didn\u2019t love Him, that He poured out His love for me when I wasn\u2019t interested in Him, and that I could be forgiven of everything I\u2019d done if I\u2019d just turn by faith in Christ and ask Him to be my Lord and Master. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob, that love\u2014that love that said: \u201cHold it! You didn\u2019t love Me. That\u2019s not why I\u2019m loving you. I loved you before you had any thought of Me. It is that love that is calling you out of your selfishness to give your life to Me.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat summer, Bob\u2014that was the summer when I had an absolute transformation in my life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI went from being a mission field, in need of being reached by others, to being a missionary with a message. I had a lot of zeal without much knowledge, but all I knew was: \u201cGod loves me. He has chased me down, and He wants a relationship with me. Even when I turn my back upon Him, He is still coming after me. He loves me.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>Let me give you another glimpse of another passage [1 John 4:7-9] that tells us more about this love of God\u2014it says: \u201cBeloved, let us love one another for love is from God. Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. In this, the love of God was made manifest among us that God sent His only Son into the world that we might live through Him.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>There are some listeners, who are listening to this broadcast\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014maybe, some who have listened for a long time\u2014who don\u2019t know the Son of God. They do not have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ because they come near Christianity, but they have never trusted Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and Christ introducing you to your heavenly Father\u2014a lifelong pursuit for sure\u2014but you need to know the love of God poured out through the person of Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> When we understand God\u2019s love for us, it helps us understand how we are to love Him in return. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Exactly; I think all of life is one long class of God teaching us how to love, and I think marriage is His call to grow up. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Repeated surrender; isn\u2019t it? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It is a repeated surrender. What ultimately happened is\u2014a number of years later, Barbara and I were married. We realized we needed to formalize our surrender to Jesus Christ; so we wrote out a contract with God, where we did one of those inventories and evaluated everything that was important to us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe gave those important things\u2014those idols\u2014to God and signed it all over to Him. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn my book, I wrote what was important to me: \u201cPlenty of money\u201d\u2014hey, we didn\u2019t have a lot; only made $560 a month, but it doesn\u2019t take the amount of money that you\u2019ve got to love it. You can love it with just a little. \u201cA nice big house with a workshop and office\u201d\u2014I have no idea why I wanted a workshop, Bob\u2014I\u2019m not good with my hands. [Laughter] I wanted to \u201cski well,\u201d\u2014hey, we lived in Boulder, Colorado. What do you do when you are in Boulder?\u2014you ski. I wanted a \u201cnew car,\u201d I wanted \u201ca big, healthy family with several boys.\u201d Notice the priority of all this\u2014the family was way down the list; [Laughter] \u201can easygoing job,\u201d \u201csharp clothes\u201d\u2014very spiritual; huh? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Alright. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> There were a bunch of insignificant things\u2014now, looking back\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014that had a hold of my heart that I had to give to Jesus Christ. It was in the process of surrendering that that I found the love of my life; because, when you do open your hands from holding on to stuff, and to things, and to those idols\u2014you let go; and then you can begin to invite God to begin to teach you more about His love. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> When we think about loving God, I think we typically go to having our emotions stirred or our affections stirred\u2014that loving God is all about how we feel at any given moment. When the Bible talks about loving God, it\u2019s bigger than just having your emotions stirred; isn\u2019t it? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It really is. In fact, it led me to really a point that I want to make here about being a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ and really going to work out of the Scriptures and becoming a student of God\u2019s love and experiencing it\u2014not just head knowledge but experiencing God\u2019s love. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>I wrote down some things that really led me into more of an experiential knowledge of God. Basically, what it was, Bob\u2014it was a biblical expedition. I went on a biblical trail to say, \u201cI want You, God, to teach me about Your love.\u201d I\u2019ll tell you where I started\u2014I started in the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, just thinking about all of Christ\u2019s interactions with religious people, who were liars and fakes; with prostitutes, who were desperate sinners; with tax collectors\u2014I mean, on and on it went\u2014but there was a great lesson to be learned about how Jesus loved His enemies. As I was watching Christ love His enemies, I would come out of those times of Bible study\u2014and just Bible contemplation. Some days, I would read a chapter; some days, I\u2019d read three or four chapters\u2014I\u2019d just chew on it and think about it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tA second way that I\u2019ve learned the love of God is with a little book that a person gave me\u2014it\u2019s called <em>A Psalter<\/em>, and it\u2019s the Psalms. I\u2019ll give you a fresh illustration of this that I read this morning: Psalm 136\u2014here is what it says, \u201cGive thanks to the Lord for He is good. For His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. For His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. For His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the one who alone does great wonders. For His steadfast love endures forever.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob, there are 26 verses\u2014it\u2019s just pounding away at God\u2019s steadfast love enduring forever. There\u2019s a little comment in this psalter that I have, and this writer quotes theologian Jonathan Edwards. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEdwards is talking about how there is no limit to God\u2019s love. Now, listen to how he describes God\u2019s love: \u201cHis essence being love, He is, as it were, an infinite ocean of love without shores and bottom\u2014yea, without a surface. Those that God is pleased to make the objects of His love, let them be who they will or what they will, never so mean, never so great sinners; they are objects of a love that is infinitely full and sufficient.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI just think we need fresh looks at the love of God, and who He is, and how He comes after us every day. The psalmist does that in magnificent ways. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You remember the great hymn of the faith that we\u2019ve sung for years: \u201cThe love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the deepest well.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s what Edwards was saying; isn\u2019t it? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It is. That really leads me to another way of being a student of the love of God\u2014that\u2019s hanging out with people who love God. I\u2019m not talking about religious people. I\u2019m talking about somebody who really hits you with a heart for God, who really loves Him. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m not being a name dropper here\u2014but for only reasons that God knows\u2014one of the men who has marked my life was Dr. Bill Bright, the Founder and President of Cru<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>\u2014formerly Campus Crusade for Christ<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>. As a leader, I got to spend time with Dr. Bright, and I got to be in meetings with him\u2014lots of meetings\/long meetings with him. He once spoke for an hour and\u2014I forget\u2014over an hour-and-a-half I think. It was a record meeting with, like, 45 points. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe had one message that he gave over, and over, and over again\u2014we used to think, \u201cDoes Dr. Bright have any other messages?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt was from Revelation, Chapter 2, the first seven or eight verses or so. It was basically about the church in Ephesus, where Jesus is taking on the church there and says, \u201cYou\u2019ve left your first love.\u201d The sermon in Revelation, Chapter 2, and the sermon that Bill Bright used to give is: \u201cI have this against you. You have left your first love for Me. Repent and do the deeds you did at first.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> In other words: \u201cRealize this thing called love is something that has to be cultivated.\u201d Can you fall out of love with God?\u2014well, you can\u2019t fall out of <em>His<\/em> love; but you can fall out of love with God. You can wane in your love; you can grow weary of well-doing. You just may need to be reminded, as Dr. Bright reminded us, \u201cRevisit your love for Christ.\u201d Is it fresh?\u2014do you really love Him with all your heart? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI miss hearing those messages now\u2014I hate to say it; because I used to say, \u201cDoesn\u2019t he know anything else?\u201d Well, there was a reason why he was making that central. He knew how important the love of our heart is to our life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne more under this point of becoming a student of His love\u2014and this is going to be an \u201cOuch!\u201d for some of our listeners: \u201cLove one another.\u201d In John 15, verses12 and 17, Jesus commanded us to love\u2014He commanded us to love the people we don\u2019t like. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBack a number of years ago, Bob, there was a book out\u2014and I don\u2019t think this was the name\u2014but it was about irregular people; Joyce Landorf wrote the book. You may remember it. It was about the people that God brings into your life that are just irregular people\u2014they just irritate you\u2014they either ask you too many questions; their personality bugs you \/ irritates you. You find ways\u2014if you see them in a store, you\u2019ll go to another aisle\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014but they are people that God puts in your path for you to love. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It may be a relative, like your brother. I had a hard time loving my brother, because he was pretty rough on me, growing up; but as a man, I always idolized him for who he was. A year ago, I had to stand over his casket; and I\u2019ve asked a lot of questions in my own heart over the past few years: \u201cHow could I have done a better job of loving my brother?\u201d <br>\u00a0\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWho has God put in your life that you need to love? Jesus made it really clear: \u201cIf you love somebody because they love you, what reward is that?\u201d But loving those who are\u2014maybe, hard to love or you don\u2019t know how to love\u2014you can\u2019t quit \/ you can\u2019t give up\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014even if they are at work and a part of your work or your neighbor next door. Over the years, I\u2019ve lived next door to some interesting neighbors, who could be described as an irregular person. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI don\u2019t think God makes mistakes. I think you can move across the country, and you\u2019d be right next to another irregular person that God is calling you to love. Jesus commanded you: \u201cLove one another.\u201d Why?\u2014because, as you love, you begin to understand God\u2019s love for <em>you<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, He even goes on to say, \u201cLove your enemies and pray for those who despitefully use you,\u201d\u2014it\u2019s not just the irregular people\u2014even those who are <strong>hostile<\/strong> toward you, we\u2019re commanded to love them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes; that\u2019s convicting. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Let\u2019s move on quickly. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Let\u2019s move to another point. One last point on loving God\u2014and what better place to go than the words of Christ in John, Chapter 21? Maybe, you remember\u2014it\u2019s in verses 15 through 17. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tPeter had an encounter with Christ; and Jesus looked at Peter and said three times, \u201cDo you love Me?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Three times! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> This was right after Peter had denied Him, so it was a valid question to ask. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It was a real valid question to ask. What did Peter say? Well, he said, \u201cYes, Lord, I love You\u201d; \u201cYes, Lord, I love You. Then, he was kind of irritated that He asked a third time if he loved Him: \u201cWhat are you looking for God?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEvery time Jesus answered Peter\u2019s response, what did He do? He commanded him to do something with the sheep. Now, do you think Jesus was calling Peter to become a physical shepherd?\u2014I don\u2019t think so. I think Jesus was giving Peter a spiritual assignment. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, here\u2019s the question for every one of our listeners. What\u2019s God\u2019s spiritual assignment for you in terms of the herd?\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014maybe, it\u2019s just one sheep\u2014maybe, it\u2019s a lamb\u2014maybe, it\u2019s a little one that you just need to stay after and love that little irregular child, and keep loving him, and keep teaching him how to know Jesus Christ, and training him\u2014or maybe, it\u2019s those two boys, who wrestle with each other and who have all these conflicts, and you are so tired of loving them. Jesus said: \u201cTend my sheep. Take care of them. Shepherd them.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI don\u2019t understand all I know, but I know that the love of God is found as you are poured out, taking care of the sheep. I\u2019ll tell you where I experienced this\u2014Billy Graham\u2019s funeral. I sat there, in a tent, on a very chilly Charlotte afternoon. Two thousand people looking at this massive oak casket that had been built by prisoners. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI thought of the man\u2019s life\u2014had a lot of time to think about his life. He wasn\u2019t perfect\u2014and his kids didn\u2019t portray him as that\u2014but they did portray him as a man who loved God. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAfter that service was over\u2014as they rolled the casket away from the tent, and across that street, and up a hill to go where it was going to go ultimately to a resting spot\u2014I had the strangest urge, Bob, to stand and <em>applaud<\/em>. Now, it was a funeral \/ it was a memorial, with all kinds of people in suits and dressed up. It had been a very somber service. There had been laughter, at points, from some of the things that the adult children had shared about their dad; but I had the strongest urge to applaud. Why?\u2014because Billy\u2014whatever can be said about him\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014he loved God; he loved the Scriptures; and he proclaimed them and the gospel of the Scriptures. He did that last point\u2014he tended the sheep; he helped birth a lot of lambs. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWho is there in your life, now, as a listener, who needs to hear about the love of God? Maybe, you are the arms of God\u2019s love that is reaching out to him. You\u2019ll be the only book they read of God\u2019s love. Maybe, it\u2019s your love that will break through the crusty hardened character of somebody who is just\u2014he\u2019s just not a believer \/ he\u2019s not a follower of Christ, so why should we expect them to be loveable?\u00a0 Maybe, it\u2019s time for you to sign up for some sheep duty and get out in the pasture and take care of the flock. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Maybe, you ought to start by reading\u2014is it Chapter 3; is that right?\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014Chapter 3 in the book, <em>Choosing a Life That Matters<\/em>, to just reevaluate, \u201cDo I love God, or do I love the world?\u201d We\u2019ve got copies of Dennis\u2019s book, <em>Choosing the Life That Matters<\/em>, available. In fact, this month, if you\u2019re able to help us with a donation to support this ministry, we\u2019ll send you a copy of the book as our thank-you gift. We are listener-supported. Those donations are what make <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> possible. All that we do\u2014not just this radio program but our events, our resources, everything that we\u2019ve got online\u2014you make that possible for others when you donate to support this ministry. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn fact, I often think about it this way\u2014I think we\u2019re really giving the husbands and wives and moms and dads the gift of practical biblical help and hope every time we donate to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. If you\u2019re a regular listener, and you\u2019ve never made a donation, let me challenge you to go online today and donate to support the work of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou can do it easily at FamilyLifeToday.com; you can call to donate: 1-800-FL-TODAY; or you can mail your donation to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> at PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; the zip code is 72223. Be sure to mention you\u2019d like a copy of Dennis\u2019s book when you get in touch with us, and we\u2019ll send that to you as our thank-you gift. <br>\u00a0\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI also want to mention the \u201c30-Day Prayer Challenge\u201d that we are encouraging moms and dads and grandparents to enroll in. For the next 30 days, we\u2019d love to send you a series of prayer prompts, via email, every day. We will help spur your thinking and your praying about your children as they get ready to head off to school this fall. Now, you can sign up for the \u201c30-Day Prayer Challenge\u201d when you go to FamilyLifeToday.com\u2014there\u2019s no cost for that. This is just our way of trying to equip you, and help you, and spur you on as you seek to ground your family in what God\u2019s Word has to say about how we\u2019re to live. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSign up, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com; and we\u2019ll start sending you those prayer challenges right away. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWith that, we\u2019ve got to wrap things up for this week. Thanks for being with us. I hope you have a great weekend. Hope you and your family are able to worship together in your local church this weekend, and I hope you can join us back on Monday. Ron Deal\u2019s going to be with us, and we\u2019re going to talk about being a step-grandparent and some of the challenges you may face along the way. I hope you can tune in for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back [Monday] for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas; a CruMinistry. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2018 FamilyLife. 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