Keith Battle - How To Get Along As We Go Along

Turning your Bibles to 1 John, chapter 4, if you have a Bible or a Bible app. I want to talk to you today on the subject of how to get along as you go along in life. One of the aspects of life is that it’s filled with relationships. Most of our stress comes from people—you know how it is. We have financial troubles that were caused by someone, and we have medical issues that arose because someone got stressed out and it gave us a headache. We face financial and medical problems, but many of our issues stem from others. And let me tell you something: I cannot promise that what we’re going to discuss today will fix your relationships, nor will I promise that it will fix the other person. What I genuinely believe is possible is for us, before we discuss today’s topic, to make ourselves better.

See, the truth is that most of our relational tension arises from the belief that there is something wrong with the other person. You know it is true—nobody else understands you, right? So it has to be them. If only someone else’s mother or kids would behave, we would all be okay! This message is for you, just in case they don’t change, and since we cannot change others, especially once they reach a certain age, the best we can do is mature ourselves to handle situations better.

1 John, chapter 4, is where I like to start, and I’m going to give you five key points to keep in mind regarding this matter of getting along as we go along. In 1 John 4, beginning in verse 7, here’s my main point: the first main point is to get in love and stay in love. Now, when I say get in love and stay in love, I’m not talking about love between people. I’m referring to a type of love that is divine. When you wake up in the morning, your first move should be to say, «God, fill me with Your love. Help me dwell in Your love so I can walk in it and remain there.»

In 1 John 4, verse 7, it says, «Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.» Conversely, verse 8 states, «Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.» Verse 9 continues, «God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.»

Now, I’ll give you three ways to get in love and stay in love. When I talk about being in love, I’m not referring to physical affection or romance; rather, I’m discussing a divine love that comes from God. You must connect with God’s love. Start your day with the prayer, «God, thank You for waking me up. Now fill me with Your love.» This becomes crucial because God can grant you the type of love that enables you to care for people you don’t even like. He can help you greet those who irritate you and offer kindness to them despite their flaws.

The love of God, as the Bible says, covers a multitude of sins. Love can push you beyond what your flesh may resist. That’s a significant insight: love compels us to do what our flesh hesitates to undertake. There’s a song we sing in this church that expresses, «Oh, the everlasting, never-ending, reckless love of God, it chases me down; if I’m lost, I’m found, and leaves the ninety-nine.» The lyrics speak of a love that is unconditional and unreserved. If you have ever been a parent and witnessed someone harming your child, you wouldn’t think twice about your appearance or dignity—you would jump into the situation to protect them. How many of you would do that?