DEVOTED IN LOVE One Another – Part 2 1/14/2024 "[Be] devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.” Romans 12:10NAS Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10ESV Devoted: φιλόστοργος, (philóstorgos) “devoted love, shown by family-members" is that special affection shared between members of God's family – people born-again (divinely adopted) and serving the same (heavenly) Father! Honor τιμή (timé) value; worth (literally, "price") especially as perceived honor – i.e. what has value in the eyes of the beholder; (figuratively) the value (weight, honor) willingly assigned to something. Key Truths from Scripture: 1) Devotion is inseparable from LOVE 2) Honor is willingly assign VALUE and God sets the VALUE not me APPLICATION: DEVOTED LOVE is a choice (a MIND SET on ABOVE) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it his not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV Devoted Love and Honor in action: I choose to stick with you because you are family and because I agree with the value God sees in you I choose to support you in difficult times because you are family and because I agree with the value God sees in you I choose to believe the best and not the worst about you because you are family and because I agree with the value God sees in you I choose be consistent in my communication and interactions with you because you are family and because I agree with the value God sees in you I choose to work through challenges together because you are family and because I agree with the value God sees in you DEVOTED LOVE is based on obedience to God not feeling A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35 ESV Devoted Love isn’t feeling based Devoted Love is positional (you are family so I will stay devoted) That can be hard at times and in those times its important to remember that it is God’s love that sustains our souls not how others are currently making us feel. DEVOTED LOVE puts others first (Humility) So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1–4 ESV BENEFIT: DEVOTED LOVE reveals God’s love in us and gives God glory Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and 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, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:7–12 (ESV) Devotion and honor toward one another does not depend on who they are or what they have done but on who God is and what he has done. Devotion and honor makes God’s name known to the world and gives him glory Devotion and honor toward one another is only possible when we seek God’s presence and allow God’s love flows through us.