“…one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
—Matthew 22:35-39

Week 1: Love is more than an

.

Love is to

intentionally for the betterment of others—willing the good for the one who is loved.

You can give without loving, but you cannot love without

your time, attention, and resources.

Before we did

good or bad, God loved us infinitely, unconditionally, no strings attached. (1 John 4:10-11)

Happiness is not a

, and the more you chase it, the more miserable you become.

“Pleasure is about want; happiness is about freedom from want.” —John Mark Comer

The four areas scientifically shown to matter for happiness are:

, friends, work, and faith.

“Practicing gratitude is the strongest predictor of satisfaction with life.” —Catherine Hart Weber, PhD

This week: Love was central for

and the early Church. (John 15:12-14)

Love is the Great Commandment Jesus gives his followers: Love God, love

. (Matthew 22:36-40)

Love is an attitude, a habit, a practice, a posture, a way of

and being in the world.

What does the love that Jesus modeled and requires look like? Attention, compassion, healing, sharing hope, mercy,

, and giving up our agenda and laying down our demands.

You can’t love in a

.

“Jesus’s way is simply about learning to love and getting rid of a lot of stuff that keeps us from doing that well.” —Dr. Elaine Robinson in Leading with Love

The first act of love is

. (Mark 10:46-52)

The great challenge of our faith is to pay attention and

people the way Jesus saw people.

“Human beings need recognition as much as they need food and water.” —David Brooks

“To be able to understand people and be present for them in their experience – that’s the most important thing in the world.” —Mary Pipher, therapist and author

Every time you see

, you are looking at a person that Jesus was willing to die for on a cross.

“We are to love whether we feel love or not. Love is best revealed in the way we live in community.” —Dr. Elaine Robinson

“I’ve come to believe that the quality of our lives and the health of our society depends, to a large degree, on how well we treat each other in the minute interactions of daily life.” —David Brooks

We don’t have to be

by our feelings or by what happens to us in life.

“Act the way you want, not the way you feel.” —Arthur Brooks in Build the Life You Want

You have the power to choose how you

. Choose love.

“We are only as happy as our core relationships are healthy.” – Andy Stanley

The number one predictor of a long life is the number of

social connections.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

How do I become a better person and live a happier life? Treat others

.

You can’t love well if you don’t

.

“If you don’t talk about the little things on a regular basis, it’s hard to talk about the big things.” —David Brooks

Action Step

When you are within eye contact of someone, look at them,

and say, “Hi.”

My Additional Notes: