Clothe Yourself in Love

My Pastor preached an incredible message last night at our Midweek Service and I just wanted to share the notes that I was able to take down. Enjoy.

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Clothe Yourself in Love

Pastor Bryan E. Crute

March 5, 2009 – 7:30pm

There should never be a time in our lives where we forego communion with God. The enemy wants us isolated so it’s easier for him to knock us off. But if we stay connected to the Father there is nothing that the enemy can do that would throw us off balance

Colossians 3:12 –> God doesn’t want us to wait for someone else to dress us. Every day we have an option to get dressed, not only physically. We must “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience… And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together”

1 Corinthians 12:27 – 13:13

God has a way of making love tailor fit to your body when you put it on from the inside out. There are certain character traits and gifts that should be seen in our lives if we have clothed ourselves in love.

Is the state of your house out of order because of the fact that you forgot to put on love from the inside and are expecting someone else to put it on from the outside? Being dressed in love has to do with daily practices that determine whether or not what we do that day is credited to Him.

He has an expectation that when he wakes you up, BECAUSE He is the one that woke you up, He would be the first person we should talk to. But the fact is that more often than not, we’re ‘too busy’ and we overlook him. His heart breaks when he sees us make decisions and bump our head when he would have never endorsed those things. BUT because we didn’t spend time with Him, we have to go through those trials.

How can you say you love God but you don’t send time with Him. If you don’t spend time with him, you AT BEST have a counterfeit relationship and are living on your own power and with your own devices.

You can’t get impartation and character transformation with a ‘courtesy visit’.

When the pressure comes, what’s really in you comes out.

We gloat in our imperfections as if God tells us, “Go ahead and me a Christian and act the way you’ve been acting!” God wants to give us a greater glory but He will only give it to people that can carry the burden. God will bring people around you to test and see if you live what you say. When you stoop to their level in order to please and placate them, you block the blessings of God in your life.

When you spend time with God daily, anything that comes into your life that day that is contrary to it, will stick out and be noticeable.

All the good things you’re doing for the Lord will mean nothing if they’re not motivated by love.

Why is it that we want to be so socially connected but spiritually disconnected?

Should God move on the basis of the amount of quality time that you spend with Him? Sometimes He loves us enough to NOT come through for us until our hearts are completely turned towards Him.

When you walk with God you don’t have to yell and let people know that you’ve got the big stick. He wants to show off through you if you’d just get out of the way and let Him do it.

When you really walk with God the enemy will take one bite out of you and spit you out because he recognizes that we taste too much like Jesus.