Sermon Series: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
What’s love got to do with it? Everything! It’s the who, what, when, where, how and why of our words and actions as follower of Jesus Christ.

Cornerstone Scripture for the Series: 1 John 4:15-17
God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.

Message: What’s Your Why?
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Offered 7/10/16 at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota Florida

What is your motivation?
What drives your words, your actions, your choices?

• Incentive- Reward
• Fear- Punishment
• Achievement- Recognition, Positive Feedback
• Growth- Self-satisfaction
• Power- Control
• Social- Belonging, Acceptance, Duty, desire to contribute to the common good, desire to make a difference

Love = Agape
Sacrificial, Unconditional, Makes the first move
Love is a choice tied to an action
Not so much an emotion but a motivation

Your motivation is of critical importance. If there’s no love it’s not of God- God is love. Agape Love is the primary motivation for our actions, or the actions don’t matter. Without Agape Love I say nothing, I am nothing, I gain nothing. With Agape Love I say something, I am someone, I gain everything.

Six Gifts of Serving found in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

• Speak (tongues of mortals, vs 1)
• Speak = Prayer (tongues of angels, vs 1)
• Speak = Prophesy (prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, vs 2)
• Faith (vs 2)
• Sacrifice = Generosity (give away all my possessions, vs 3)
• Sacrifice = Volunteering (hand over my body, vs 3)

Worship Resources for this Message 
Affirmation of Faith- God is Love
by Steve Garnaas Holmes
We believe in God, who is Love,
whose love is manifest in all Creation, in our lives, and in all people.

We follow Christ, who embodied God’s love
in his life and ministry, his death and resurrection.
In granting us his Spirit, Christ filled us with that love as well.

We live by the Spirit, the presence of God’s love in us.
In that love we participate in the Church, the Body of Christ
In that love we love God by loving our neighbors
through our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness.

Love is our faith, and it is a gift from God.
We thank God, and ask God’s blessings,
that we may love in the name of Christ
and the power of the Spirit, today and everyday, to God’s glory. Amen.

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I’m excited to now offer mp3’s of my Sunday messages. A huge thank you to Leon and my brothers and sisters at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota for all their help in making this possible. If you’re ever in Sarasota, please drop by for worship Sundays at 9am or 10:30am, or drop by during the week for a chat or small group. You and those you love are always welcome.

© 2016 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Contact Lisa for posting and publication considerations.