Opening Prayer: Lord, how many are my foes! How many of you rise against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him." But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen! (Psalm 3:1-7).
Today’s Bible Verse: Psalm 31:23-24 (NKJV)
Love the LORD, all you godly ones! For the LORD protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes the arrogant. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.
Associated Scriptures:
He (Jesus) answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27).
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
Correlative Quotes:
All the saints are benefited by the sanctified miseries of one if they are led by earnest exhortations to love their Lord the better. If saints do not love the Lord, who will? Love is the universal debt of all the saved family who would wish to be exonerated from its payment?.[1] – Charles Spurgeon
He (God) preserves the faithful and rewards the proud. This is good and just. With what courage we should hope in God I (Ver. 24.) He strengthens us by his Spirit to hope and trust in Him.[2] – H. D. M. Spence and Joseph Excell
…thou (David) fought for Christ in the cave where the devil commanded; you stood and appeared for Him when other men lost heart and courage. Here is a man that God will own; such a one will have God's heart and hand to do him honor, to yield him comfort.[3] – Simeon Ash.
Author’s Notes:
INTRODUCTION
God has promised us sustaining grace. His promises provide hope and stability during times of distress. However, there is one caveat: God only responds to a shared love.
HOPE IN GOD’S PROMISES
Our hope in God is not misplaced. We have only one word for love in the English language. A person could say I love you to a spouse, but that is different from their love for a relative. One might also say I love my dog which hopefully would be a different connotation than I love my car or my job. Humans use the word for many unrelated things.
The Ancient Greeks had at least six words for love. The word used for God’s love and mankind’s love for God is agape. 1 John 4:8 says: God is love. The word implies compassion, commitment, and sacrifice.
Romans 8:31 explains: If God is for us, who can be against us?
God is the protector. Jesus is the justifier. Romans 5:1-2 states: Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Jesus is our rock and our salvation. 1 Corinthians 10:4 says, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. He is the justifier.
Romans 8:34 describes: Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died--more than that, who was raised to live--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Christ is the mediator. When we sin (1 John 2:1), we have an advocate, Jesus Christ, who is the arbitrator. He intercedes with God the Father on our behalf.
John 14:1 gives us solace when we read these words from Jesus: Do not let your hearts be troubled.
The Spirit is our encourager (John 14:6, Strongs: advocate, intercessor, consoler, comforter, and helper). Anytime we feel discouraged, God’s children can go to him and receive comfort.
Spiritual Application:
We must love God. In Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27, God states: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. God’s love for us and the believer’s reciprocal love for Him establishes and cements our relationship. 1 John 4:8 sums up a person’s relationship with God when it says: Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
We must love others. After stating the first commandment, loving God, Jesus follows up with the second in Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Galatians 5:14, and James 2:8: The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these. These two commands are equal in God’s plan and purpose for His children. They are the proof of our salvation (1 Corinthians 6:22).
We must love ourselves. Ephesians 5:29 teaches: No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. In today’s self-centered world, too many Christians are not happy with what they are and who they have become. A prerequisite to a full and peaceful relationship with Jesus and others requires that we emulate His love. Just as we love God and others, we must accept who we are and love ourselves unconditionally.
Lessons within the Lesson:
How would you define love?
Why is our love for God and our love for each other essential?
Discuss how the love of God has impacted your life.
How do we learn to love others and ourselves?
[1] Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Psalm 31:23, Vol. 2, Public Domain, Ibid., P. 64.
[2] H. D. M. Spence and Joseph Excell, The Pulpit Commentary, Public Domain, Psalms 31:23-24, Vol. 1, Funk & Wagnalls Company New York And Toronto, P. 236.
[3] Simeon Ash, Psalm 31:24, Treasury of David, Vol. 2, Public Domain, Marshall Brothers, Ltd. Publishers London, Edinburgh and New York P. 78.