By : Tom Holladay

Let love be your highest goal- 1 Cor. 14:1

Anyone
who does
not love
remains in
death
1 John 3:14
Most important of all, continue to show deep love
for each other, for love covers a multitude of
sins”
Selfishness must be
replaced by
UNSELFISHNESS.

Ego must be replaced

by altruism. The focus
on “me” must give way
to “WE”

Conceit must be replaced

by COMPASSION.
We need Personal Renewal &
Relational Renewal.
Jesus was Great at Relationships

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‗Here is a glutton
and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.‘ But wisdom is
proved right by her deeds.‖ Matt 11:19
 Let‘s be Christ‐like

The evidence that we are Christ’s followers is not religiosity, nor how
many Bible verses we have memorized, nor the charity work we have
done, but rather it is LOVE – loving God and one another.
 NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT
DAY 1 THAN RELATIONSHIPS

Relationships are
wonderful

Even some relationships

are painful
 Point to ponder: Place the Highest Value on Relationships

 Verse to Remember: The most important commandment -

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all

your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength.‘ 31 The second is this: ‗Love your neighbour as
yourself.‘ There is no commandment greater than these.‖

 Question to Consider: Have I asked Jesus if what I‘m doing

is what‘s most important?
 ATTRACTION OF LESSER THINGS
DAY 2
Place the Highest Value on
Relationships!
Not on ....

MONEY THINGS TIME WORK

but on relationships, first with God
and then with others.
 Relationships are more Important
than Time

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love
other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot
serve both God and Money.
Relationships are more Important
than Tasks
Jesus chose
meeting a person‘s
need above
following his
schedule of tasks
for that day.

References: Mark 5:21-43, Mark 10:14, Mark 6:37, John 4

Relationships are Important

God does not

demand of us that
we accomplish
great things.
He does demand of
us that we strive
for excellence in
our relationships.
 Point to Ponder: God does not demand of me that I
accomplish great things. He does demand of me that I
strive for excellence in my relationships.

 Verse to Remember: 25 ―Therefore I tell you, do not worry

about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your
body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and
the body more than clothes? Matt. 6:25

 Questions to consider: What do the ways in which I spend

my time and money say about the top priorities in my life?
 LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART
DAY 3

The power to change starts with faith

– with trusting God and then acting on that faith.
Start of Loving God with all your Heart by
Praying Emotionally
 God called David, the writer of many of the
Psalms, ―a man after his own Heart‖

David‘s prayer contain a gold of mine wisdom

about loving God with all your heart.
 Talk to God
About your feelings

Psalm 6:6
6 I am worn out from

my groaning. All
night long I flood my
bed with weeping
and drench my couch
with tears.
 Talk to God
About your weaknesses

Psalm 25:16
16 Turn to me

and be gracious
to me, for I am
lonely and
afflicted.
 Talk to God
About His strengths

Psalm 24:8
Who is this King
of glory? The
LORD strong and
mighty, the LORD
mighty in battle.
 Talk to God
About your fears
Psalm 55:5
5 Fear and

trembling have
beset me; horror
has overwhelmed
me.
 Talk to God
Pour out the desires of your heart
Psalm 38:9
9 All my longings

lie open before

you, Lord; my
sighing is not
hidden from you.
 Talk to God
Openly and Emotionally admit your sins to Him.
Psalm 38:17-18
17 For I am about

to fall, and my
pain is ever with
me.
18 I confess my

iniquity; I am
troubled by my
sin.
 Talk to God
Say out Loud what you know to be true

Psalm 18:1-2
For the director of music. Of
David the servant of the LORD. He
sang to the LORD the words of this
song when the LORD delivered him
from the hand of all his enemies and
from the hand of Saul. He said: 1 I
love you, LORD, my strength. 2 The
LORD is my rock, my fortress and my
deliverer; my God is my rock, in
whom I take refuge, my shield and
the horn of my salvation, my
stronghold.
 Our goal is Relationships that are
Transformed by the Example and Power of
Jesus Christ.
Point to Ponder: The path to putting God first starts with the
word all.

Verse to Remember: But seek first his kingdom and his

righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well. Matt. 6:33

Questions to ponder: Do I tell God what I feel, or do I tell

him what I think he wants to hear?
 LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR SOUL
DAY 4

The old Testament uses Hebrew word nephesh, which means

“to breathe.” Behind this word is the idea that God breathes
life into us. You’re a living soul.
 The Soul is your Life

Your soul is the passion with which you’re living, the

personality you’ve been given, the path your life is taking,
the power in your being.
 Your Soul is where You Decide

You have a will to decide or not to decide – to allow your

emotions to have free reign; but even doing that is a
decision of your soul.
 Seek Him Passionately
A shepherd who had lost
one sheep and left his
ninety-nine other sheep to
go after that one sheep
with all his energy and
passion.
That‘s the way to seek God.
Seek Him passionately –
with all your soul.

A relationally healthy soul will passionately seek to

express love for God.
 Love Him Personally

When you love the Lord, you love him with a unique voice –a voice
different in tone , different in soul, from any other voice God hears
in all of creation.
Love God uniquely with the Personality
He’s Fashioned into Your Life.
Decide to Do What He Wants You to Do

The night before Jesus died, as

He talked to his Father in the
Garden of Gethsemane.
Knowing that the next day he
would face the physical,
emotional and Spiritual torture
of the cross, Jesus prayed,
―Not my will, but yours be
done‖ Luke 22:42

Jesus’ example is found in being able to pray the prayer that

He prayed: “Not my will Lord, but yours be done.”
 Point to Ponder: When you love the Lord, you love him
with a unique voice – a voice that is different in soul from
any other voice God hears in all of creation.

 Verse to Remember: Blessed are those who hunger and

thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled – Matt. 5:6

 Question to Consider: Where do I need to pray, ―Lord your

will be done,‖ in order to love God with all my soul?
DAY 5

LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR MIND

& STRENGTH
Whatever is True: Meditate on God‘s Word
Whatever is Noble: Appreciate God‘s Worth

Awareness that God is at work all around you and what God is doing in
the world, and so your eyes are lifted to the common things around you
to focus on the godly.
Whatever is Right: Cooperate with God‘s Plan

Before you can do

the right thing, you
have to THINK the
right thing.

Right Things have to do with God‘s direction,

God‘s will.
Whatever is Pure: Appropriate God‘s Cleansing

Refocus your thoughts by thinking about the sacrifice Jesus

made at the Cross for you & the gift of forgiveness.
Whatever is Lovely: Anticipate God’s abundance

As simple as a
looking at the sky,
take a moment to
be entertained by
creativity of God.

Whatever you are doing – enjoy the abundance

and goodness of God
Whatever is Admirable: Communicate God‘s
Encouragement

Loving God with all your mind involves looking for what‘s best in
others and telling them, ―I see something of God‘s character in
you.‖
If Anything is excellence: Be motivate by God’s greatness

Find motivation for your life in God‘s greatness – the

motivation that will last forever.
If Anything is Praiseworthy:
Celebrate God’s Goodness
Trust in Him that He can give you Strength
Confidence that God can do
absolutely anything.
John 14:12 - Very truly I tell you,
whoever believes in me will do the
works I have been doing, and they
will do even greater things than
these, because I am going to the
Father.

Convince that you can do

absolutely nothing of ultimate
and eternal significance without
the power of Jesus Christ. ―Apart
from me you can do nothing‖ John
15:5
 Turning your Weaknesses into Strengths

2 Cor 12:9 -10, But he said to me, ―My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ‘s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ‘s sake, I
delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For
when I am weak, then I am strong.‖
 Point to Ponder: To love God with your mind, you must
God‘s words into your mind.

 Verse to Remember: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever

is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if
anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such
things. Phil 4:8

 Questions to Consider: Where have my thoughts been

focused lately? When was the last time I asked God to give
e strength to move forward in his power, even though I was
feeling weak?
DAY 6

Love Everyone as Your Neighbour

We limit our love because of our differences

LOVE

God wants us to depend on him for the

power to love.
 We limit our love because of our fears

Take the risk, and begin to set aside a prejudice

that has kept an entire group or nationality of
people the bounds of your love.
 Point
to Ponder: No one is outside the bounds
of my love.

 Verseto Remember: Love your neighbor as

you love yourself. (Luke 10:27)

 Question to Consider: Who is the person in

my life I need to take risk to love?
DAY 7

Love Someone as Your Neighbour

I cannot limit the extent of my love

I must limit the expression of my love.

 Jesus Simply Loved People as the
Opportunity Arose

during the normal traffic patterns of his life.

Consistent Love can only be Expressed
one Opportunity at a Time.
 Make the Choice to Love the
Few You can Love Today

trusting in the greatness of God that he will

put the right people in your path on the
journey of life.
Did you know?
Jesus took so much
time to be alone with
the Father.
He spent 33 yrs on
earth and only 3 years
in public ministry.
Why wouldn‘t He have spent every waking
moment of his ministry with people?
Because he knew it was
important to his
relationship with his Father
and to others to make
space to be alone. What
you gain from time alone
with God will strengthen
every relationship in your
life.
Jesus Values Relationships

He died on the
cross to make a
relationship with
him possible John
15:13 He wants us
to be with him
where he is for all
eternity John 17:24
―Dear friends, since God loved us that much,
we surely ought to love each other.‖ 1 John 4:11
Point to Ponder: Consistent love can only be
expressed one opportunity at a time

Verse to Remember: Dear friends, since God so

loved us, we also ought to love one another.
– 1 john 4:11

Question to Consider: How can I show love to

person right in front of me-today?
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor. 13:13