A group of four-through eight-year-olds were asked: “What does love mean?” Their answers vary from the amusing to the profound.
Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.
Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.
Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.
When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.
Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.
When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.
When you tell someone something bad about yourself and you’re scared they won’t love you anymore. But then you get surprised because not only do they still love you, they love you even more.
Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Denzel Washington.
Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.
Love cards, like Valentine’s cards, say stuff on them that we’d like to say ourselves, but we wouldn’t be caught dead saying.
Written by Danny Dutton 8-years-old, of Chula Vista, CA, 3rd-grade homework assignment. Explain God. Wonder if any of us could do as well?"
One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them
to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to
take care of things on earth. He doesn’t make grown-ups, just
babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That
way He doesn’t have to take up His valuable time teaching them to
talk and walk. He can just leaves that to mothers and fathers.
God’s second most important job is listening to
prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like
preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn’t have
time to listen to the radio or TV because of this.
God sees everything and hears everything and is
everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn’t go wasting
His time by going over your Mom and Dad’s head asking for something
they said you couldn’t have.
Atheists are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t
think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren’t any
who come to our church.
Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work
like walking on water and performing miracles and people finally
got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him. But He
was good and kind, like His Father and He told His Father that they
didn’t know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said "O.K."
His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had
done and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He didn’t
have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So He
did. And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing
things which are important for God to take care of and which ones
He can take care of Himself without having to bother God. Like a
secretary, only more important. You can pray anytime you want and
they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of
them is on duty all the time.
You should always go to church on Sunday because it
makes God happy, and if there’s anybody you want to make happy,
it’s God. Don’t skip church to do something you think will be more
fun like going to the beach. This is wrong.
And besides the sun doesn’t come out at the beach until noon anyway.
If you don’t believe in God, besides being an
atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can’t go
everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know
He’s around you when you’re scared in the dark or when you can’t
swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.
But...you shouldn’t just always think of what
God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me
back anytime He pleases. And...that’s why I believe in God.
1. It is amazing all of the crazy things that people do when they are trying to win someone’s affection.
2. Love letters, writing love songs & poems, goofy voices, and the list goes on!
3. I want to take a look at Hosea’s life and compare it to God’s love for us.
4. Sometimes God would give a prophet a message sometimes he would have them act it out. God wanted to demonstrate His relationship with Israel.
[Hosea 1:2] When the LORD first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, "Go and marry a prostitute, so some of her children will be born to you from other men. This will illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly committing adultery against the LORD by worshiping other gods."
1. Imagine God asking you to do this! This is crazy!
2. Why in the world would God ask someone to do this?
3. You know what’s even more crazy? Hosea did it!
4. There are three messages that we can get from Hosea’s marriage.
#1 God’s love is crazy.
1. Crazy? God is crazy in love with you!
2. “Crazy Love” is the highest level of love that exists (this is not a theological term).
3. Songs: “Crazy Love,” “Crazy for this girl,” “Crazy for you,” “Crazy little thing called love.”
4. “Crazy Love,” is love that is so strong that you are willing to do whatever it takes to win that person or keep that person.
5. Who can explain why God loves us?
6. We say we should love someone that also loves us.
7. We look for someone that will be faithful to us. But guess what God says?
[2 Timothy 2:13] If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
Steven Curtis Chapman, “In The Gospel, we discover we are far worse off than we thought, and far more loved than we ever dreamed.”
Child & his/her pillow or blanket. We think it is ugly and smelly, but the child thinks it is great!
A boy noticed the sign “Puppies for Sale.” – 25$ -- The boy’s face dropped. "Well, sir, could I at least see them anyway?" -- The farmer whistled – mother and 4 puppies – one more came dragging one hind leg. -- "What’s the matter with that puppy, mister?" the boy asked. -- "Well, Son, that puppy is crippled. We took her to the vet and the doctor took an X ray. The pup doesn’t have a hip joint and that leg will never be right." -- the boy dropped the bike, reached for his collection bag and took out fifty-cents. -- "Please, mister," the boy pleaded, "I want to buy that pup. I’ll pay you fifty cents every week until the twenty-five dollars is paid. Honest I will, mister." -- The farmer replied, "But, Son, you don’t seem to understand. That pup will never, never be able to run or jump. That pup is going to be a cripple forever. Why in the world would you want such a useless pup as that?"
The boy paused for -- iron brace and leather knee-strap holding a poor twisted leg. -- The boy answered, "Mister, that pup is going to need someone who understands him to help him in life!"
#2 God’s love is patient.
1. Hosea never denied what Gomer was doing. She left him, and gave herself over to prostitution.
2. Hosea could not keep her from doing what she did, but he patiently waited for her to hit the bottom, and then he went and bought her back! That’s crazy!
[Romans 2:4] Don’t you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Or don’t you care? Can’t you see how kind he has been in giving you time to turn from your sin?
1. God is so patient with us, isn’t he.
2. No matter how many times we doubt His love, turn our back on Him, deny His existence, He waits for us, tries to win out heart over, and love us. That is crazy!
3. Romantic love is blind to everything except what is lovable and lovely.
4. But Christ’s love sees everything.
#3 God’s love is unconditional
1. We often give up on people.
2. Sometimes we write people off when trust has been betrayed.
3. But God is different.
4. In chapter three we’ll see that Gomer’s sin has worn her out, and now she is stripped and being sold.
5. The name Gomer means “perfect,” possibly a reference to her appearance and desirability.
6. But now her beauty is gone — ruined through hard living, and no one will have her except one man.
[Hosea 3:1-2] Then the LORD said to me, "Go and get your wife again. Bring her back to you and love her, even though she loves adultery. For the LORD still loves Israel even though the people have turned to other gods, offering them choice gifts." {2} So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and about five bushels of barley and a measure of wine.
1. Hosea will make her his wife again, a living symbol of God’s unconditional love for us.
2. It would have been easier for Hosea to just divorce her.
3. God asked him to do this because it is what God does.
4. Hosea was acting like God. God’s love is unconditional.
5. Can you see how Hosea’s actions differed from the dentist that recently ran over her husband because he was having an affair?
Richard Armstrong, Make Your Life Worthwhile, reports the story about a man in Wales who sought to win the affection of a certain lady for 42 years before she finally said, "Yes." The couple, both 74, recently became "Mr. and Mrs."
For more than 40 years, the persistent, but rather shy man slipped a weekly love letter under his neighbor’s door. But she continually refused to speak and mend the spat that had parted them many years before.
After writing 2,184 love letters without ever getting a spoken or written answer, the single-hearted old man eventually summoned up enough courage to present himself in person. He knocked on the door of the reluctant lady and asked for her hand. To his delight and surprise, she accepted.
Imagine God’s dilemma. Time and time again He tried to get His message of love through to His human creation with little response. Finally, when there was no other way, He wrapped up His message in person.
Jesus told a story about a Father who had “Crazy Love” for his son.
Story of the Prodigal Son.
The father in this story can be compared to our Heavenly Father, he is always waiting for us, always loving us.
God’s 4-Dimensional Love
(3-D Glasses)
[Ephesians 3:17-19] And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. {18} And may you have the power to understand,
Not intellectual understanding, but experiencing God’s love.
[Ephesians 3:17-19 cont.] as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. {19} May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
1. Do you know God’s love, or do you only know about God love?
2. Knowing that H2O is water doesn’t quench my thirst.
3. If you know that God loves you, but you don’t know His Love, it’s like someone who studies water without drinking it.
Width.
1. God’s love is wide.
2. Our love is often very narrow, we love only certain people.
3. Think about the person you most dislike in the world (Saddam, Osama, IRS agent, etc.).
4. Now think about this: God is crazy about that person!
[2 Timothy 1:9] It is God who saved us and chose us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan long before the world began--to show his love and kindness to us through Christ Jesus.
Length.
1. We can let this remind us that God’s love is eternal. Never ending.
2. No “regular business hours,” no vacations.
3. God will never give up.
[Jeremiah 31:3] Long ago the LORD said to Israel: "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
[Hebrews 13:5] "I will never fail you. I will never forsake you."
Height.
1. Height or perhaps pinnacle, the ultimate, the greatest!
2. People in our country tend to try to get “the best” of everything. Like coffee.
3. Human beings crave love – even more than coffee!
4. In God, we can experience the richest, the highest, the purest, the finest love imaginable.
5. And not only that, but it’s free.
[Psalms 36:7] How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.
Depth.
1. Seeds die because soil is shallow, scenery for a play.
2. God’s love is absolutely solid and real.
3. It reaches to the deepest parts of our being.
4. God loves us in spite of the bad and ugly things that are hidden in our lives.
[Romans 8:38-39] And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. {39} Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1. We can choose not to return His love, but He will always love us.
2. Let’s read about 4-D love again.
[Ephesians 3:17-19] And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. {18} And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. {19} May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
God’s Love makes a difference!
[Romans 5:6-9] When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. {7} Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. {8} But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
If you think about it, it is really crazy what Jesus did, came and died for people that didn’t even like him.
[1 John 4:9-11] God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. {10} This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. {11} Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.
One afternoon three children, two boys and a girl, entered a flower shop. They were about nine or ten years old, raggedly dressed, but at this moment well-scrubbed. One of the boys took off his cap and gazed around the store somewhat doubtfully, then came up to the person who owned the store and said, "Sir, we’d like something in yellow flowers."
There was something in their tense nervous manner that made the man think that this was a very special occasion. He showed them some inexpensive yellow spring flowers. The boy who was the spokesman for the group shook his head. "I think we’d like something better than that."
The man asked, "Do they have to be yellow?" The boy answered, "Yes, sir. You see, Mickey would like ’em better if they were yellow. He had a yellow sweater. I guess he’d like yellow better than any other color."
The man asked, "Are they for his funeral?"
The boy nodded, suddenly choking up. The little girl was desperately struggling to keep back the tears. "She’s his sister," the boy said. "He was a swell kid. A truck hit him while he was playing in the street." His lips were trembling now. The other boy entered the conversation. "Us kids in his block took up a collection. We got eighteen cents. Would roses cost an awful lot, sir--yellow roses, I mean?"
The man smiled. "It just happens that I have some nice yellow roses here that I’m offering special today for eighteen cents a dozen." The man pointed to the flower case.
"Gee, those would be swell! Yes, Mickey’d sure like those."
The man said, "I’ll make up a nice spray with ferns and ribbons. Where do you want me to send them?" One of the boys responded, "Would it be all right, mister, if we took them with us? We’d kind of like to--you know--give ’em to Mickey ourselves. He’d like it better that way."
The florist fixed the spray of flowers and accepted the eighteen cents gravely and watched the youngsters trudge out of the store. And he felt within his heart the warm glow of the presence of God, for he had remembered anew the meaning of the words of Jesus: "Even as you have done it unto one of these little ones, you have done it unto me.
Like a movie where a guy is sitting in a restaurant,
· the lights are low
· the sax is sadly playing in the background
· it’s a rainy night
· he has finished his fifth cup of coffee
· a petal falls off of the rose in the vase in front of him.
· Finally the waiter comes over.
· More coffee.
· Go home.
· Come back.
1. God sitting at a table waiting for you to show up.
2. Maybe as he waits he jots a note to you.
I had to write to tell you how much I love you and care for you. Yesterday, I saw you walking and laughing with your friends; I hoped that soon you’d want me to walk along with you, too. So, I painted you a sunset to close your day and whispered a cool breeze to refresh you. I waited -- you never called -- I just kept on loving you.
As I watched you fall asleep last night, I wanted to touch you. I spilled moonlight onto your face -- trickling down your cheeks as so many tears have. You didn’t even think of Me; I wanted so much to comfort you.
The next day I exploded a brilliant sunrise into glorious morning for you. But you woke up late and rushed off to work -- you didn’t even notice. My sky became cloudy and My tears were the rain.
I love you, oh, if you’d only listen. I really love you. I try to say it in the quiet of the green meadow and in the blue sky. The wind whispers My love throughout the treetops and spills it into the vibrant colors of all the flowers. I shout it to you in the thunder of the great waterfalls and compose love songs for birds to sing for you. I warm you with the clothing of My sunshine and perfume the air with nature’s sweet scent. My love for you is deeper than any ocean and greater than any need in your heart. If you’d only realize how I care.
My Dad sends His love. I want you to meet Him -- He cares, too. Fathers are just that way. So, please; call on Me soon. No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait -- because I love you. (Your Friend, Jesus)
[John 3:16-18] "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. {17} God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. {18} "There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God.
A beautiful girl broke off her engagement because he was dragging her down with his life of Alcohol…One day as she passed a suburban road, there he lay drunk by the side walk. His face exposed to the boiling, blistering sun, swollen with drink & exposure….She took her handkerchief & spread it over his stupid sleeping face…2 hrs latter he awoke and saw her handkerchief with her name on it’s corner … She still loves me-he said I will redeem my life & he did…
He is crazy in love with you, will you return that love? Will you accept him into your heart, he wants to forgive you and begin a relationship with you right now.
