Lake View Activity Center

Remember your first love? You weren’t sure about what was happening, just that you felt attracted to her. And your attempts to express those feelings were probably pretty awkward. Through the years, your love experiences have grown, and you’ve gained a deeper understanding of that powerful four-letter word, love — a basic human need.

Love is a popular topic. We talk about it, write about it, and sing about it. Everyone wants to love and be loved. But true love becomes obscured in all wordiness and confused by counterfeits. True love moves beyond talk into action. John states that we can see true love by checking out what God did: he sent his Son, and Christ gave his life. God’s love sends, gives, serves, feeds, heals, and dies. For God, love is an action verb.

True love is also others-centered. In modern society, we sing, “Give me some lovin’,” and we meet our needs by “making love.” Again, God provides the contrasting example — Christ came to earth to give himself for us.

How can we respond to such sacrificial, selfless love? By loving God and others in the same way (see 1 John 4:11-12).

Thank God for his great love for you, and demonstrate your gratitude by giving yourself to others, just as Christ gave himself for you...

Separated For Worship

What does it take to create an elite group — whether it’s soldiers, athletes or scholars? Elite troops, athletes or scholars need to commit to being isolated, often physically, in order to properly train for their tasks. Separation enhances focus and change.

God gave the ancient Israelites marks to set them apart — marks ranging from peculiar food choices to a unique ceremonial and legal system. We, also, are to be different from unbelievers. Adopting worship as a lifestyle means accepting an identity as something of a holy oddball, for unlike others, our first motivation in life is to know God.

As we write the scripts of our lives day by day, let us make choices that will help conform us to the nature of Christ rather than to any other pattern set before us. Through this choice, we say, “Father, your will be done today,” and we commend our spirits to God.

A worshipful life separates us in regard to the world. A worshipful life will allow Christ to mold us into our right shape.