Teaching Notes

Like a beautiful garden, each one of us can receive what we need from God to draw closer to him and grow.  What a beautiful sight it is to see the diversity of God's people as they grow together. Like God's Garden!

How To Draw Closer To God

Luke 10:26-28 (The Message)

He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?" He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself." "Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."

Notes: One of the vital things in our relationship to God is our love for him and his people.  What we say about our relationship with God is important but even more so is what we "show" in the world we live in.

Question: If we say we love God, how does it show itself?  What is Jesus' response to us when we do that?

Answer: If we say we love God then we should love others as well as we do ourselves.  This then is pleasing to Jesus.  He says, it is good and when we do so we will live.  This means we will live a life that is pleasing to God.  God is please that we show our love for him in what we do.  It does not matter if we say that we love God but are not kind, loving or charitable to others.  And who are those that we should be loving to?  The scripture says our neighbors.  A neighbor is anyone next to you.  That does not just mean the people that live on your block or in your neighborhood.  That means anyone you find yourself next to.  Next to in class, or work or any activities.  God wants us to show our love for him to others.  This is evidence that his love is alive in us and working through us.

Prayer: Lord help us to draw closer to you. We want to show our love for you to those that we find ourselves close to.  Help us to trust you, obey you and show forth your love to this world. Help us to pray for wisdom and understanding so that we can discern your truth.  Help us Lord this day, because we want to draw closer to you.