Matthew 21:1-11; We love God by receiving Jesus as both Savior and Lord. To truly love God, we must acknowledge our need for a savior (we can’t save ourselves) and choose to submit to Jesus as the center of our life purpose.

Matthew 7:13-29; We love God by facing the realities of brokenness and evil in the world and in ourselves, then claiming the grace God offers. God’s grace is not a mushy sentimentality that avoids the hard things of life; rather, it brings the transforming power of the Cross and the Resurrection to all of life’s realities.

We love God by coming to Him opening and honestly with all our needs, desires, hurts, joys, etc…our whole selves! We no longer need to put others down to lift ourselves up because we know we are loved and accepted unconditionally by the Father.

We love God by putting His priorities above our own. We are learning to trust God so deeply that we see our real citizenship is in heaven, and our security is in Him, not in the things of the world. We can safely seek His kingdom above all else because we know all our other needs will be provided for.

The Beatitudes as a description of life in the kingdom, a life of worship and mutual care for the hurting.

Matthew 26:69-75 & John 21:15-23