100:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,000Some of us have been really well lovedfrom the very moment we were born, and others of200:00:08,940 –> 00:00:15,940us have experienced a marked lack of love in our lives. And if that has been your experience300:00:17,400 –> 00:00:24,400you may fear that because you have received little it may then follow that you have little400:00:24,760 –> 00:00:29,280to give. The good news is that these verses are telling500:00:29,280 –> 00:00:36,279us that you can love, and the reason that you can love is that you are loved far more600:00:37,320 –> 00:00:43,419than you think, far more than you know. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin700:00:43,419 –> 00:00:49,599Smith, I’m David Pick, and Colin some of our listeners may not have experienced enough800:00:49,599 –> 00:00:54,240love in their lives, but today’s message is one of hope.900:00:54,380 –> 00:01:00,779Yes, it certainly is. And that’s a real battle you know. In early life, especially, not to1000:01:00,779 –> 00:01:07,860have been well loved is a great sadness and it’s a very great loss. And I think that it1100:01:07,860 –> 00:01:14,860may leave a person feeling well, what hope is there for me, because what I didn’t receive1200:01:15,699 –> 00:01:21,580would be made up. How could it be replaced, and how can I possibly give what I didn’t1300:01:21,599 –> 00:01:24,459receive? But the wonderful truth that we’re looking1400:01:24,459 –> 00:01:31,459at today is that we’re able to love because God has first loved us. Nobody can pour out1500:01:32,139 –> 00:01:39,139what they haven’t received, but as we receive the love that God has for us in the Lord Jesus1600:01:39,139 –> 00:01:44,779Christ, whatever our background in life may have been, there’s something that comes to1700:01:44,779 –> 00:01:50,959us that will enable us to give what otherwise we couldn’t have given. Now that’s1800:01:51,040 –> 00:01:54,739a real hope and we’re going to look at it together in the Bible today.1900:01:54,739 –> 00:01:59,199So, join us if you can in the first book of John, chapter 42000:01:59,199 –> 00:02:03,900As we begin a message, love comes from God. Here is Pastor Colin.2100:02:03,900 –> 00:02:09,699We have seen that love is our distinct calling. Jesus said, a new commandment I give to you2200:02:09,699 –> 00:02:14,919that you love one another and it’s by this that all people will know that you are my2300:02:15,160 –> 00:02:20,000disciples, that you love one another. So, love is our distinct calling.2400:02:20,000 –> 00:02:25,960And as the world becomes harsher, our calling will become more distinct.2500:02:25,960 –> 00:02:32,600Then last week we saw that love is our greatest need. It is our greatest need because love2600:02:32,600 –> 00:02:38,880is essential for ministry. It’s our greatest need because love will equip us for life and2700:02:38,880 –> 00:02:44,779we saw it is our greatest need, because everything else will pass away, but love will endure2800:02:44,839 –> 00:02:55,020forever. So we’ve spent two weeks looking at the why. Why grow in love? And today we’re2900:02:55,020 –> 00:03:02,100looking at the question how. How? How is this going to happen? Let’s assume that we’ve3000:03:02,100 –> 00:03:10,100all come to the place this morning of saying, I want to grow in love. How is that going3100:03:10,139 –> 00:03:17,399to happen? Well, the place to begin is first John and chapter four. If you were to ask3200:03:17,399 –> 00:03:25,600John, the question, how can I grow in love? The answer he would give is in verse 19. We3300:03:25,600 –> 00:03:35,660love because he first loved us. Verse 19 is really a summary of everything that John says3400:03:35,660 –> 00:03:41,860in verse 7 to verse 21, or to put it another way, everything that John says in verse 73500:03:41,860 –> 00:03:50,899to verse 21 is really an exposition of what he says in verse 19. We love because he first3600:03:50,899 –> 00:03:58,940loved us. John is telling us that’s how we love. Understand then that love is not something3700:03:58,940 –> 00:04:05,139that we have to sort of dredge up from within ourselves. No, love in its very nature comes3800:04:05,139 –> 00:04:15,660down. He tells us verse 7, love is from God. He tells us verse 8, that God is love. And3900:04:15,660 –> 00:04:22,799he says it again in verse 16. He explains in these verses that God’s love comes to us4000:04:23,679 –> 00:04:35,720Christ and lives in us by the Holy Spirit. We love because he first loves us. This wonderful4100:04:35,720 –> 00:04:42,160truth opens the door of hope for each and every one of us. The reality is, of course,4200:04:42,160 –> 00:04:49,119that our experience of human love varies greatly. Some of us have been really well loved from4300:04:49,119 –> 00:04:56,500the very moment we were born, and others of us have experienced a marked lack of love4400:04:56,500 –> 00:05:04,440in our lives, and if that has been your experience, you may fear that because you have received4500:05:04,440 –> 00:05:11,799little it may then follow that you have little to give. There are some among us who have4600:05:11,859 –> 00:05:19,859suffered from neglect, some among us who have suffered from abuse. You have experienced4700:05:19,859 –> 00:05:26,859the opposite of love, and its left deep wounds, and sometimes you wonder could such wounds4800:05:26,940 –> 00:05:32,500ever, really, be healed. The good news is that these verses are telling4900:05:32,500 –> 00:05:39,500us that you can love, and the reason that you can love is that you are loved far more5000:05:40,500 –> 00:05:47,500than you think, far more than you know, and as God’s love flows into you, so God’s5100:05:49,320 –> 00:05:56,320love will make it possible for love to flow out from you as well. We love because He first5200:05:58,119 –> 00:06:04,480loved us. Now these verses tell us certain things that5300:06:04,480 –> 00:06:11,480God does and certain things that we are able to do in response, as result of what God has5400:06:11,920 –> 00:06:17,559first done for us. And you may have noticed when you read John’s5500:06:17,559 –> 00:06:23,679writing, especially this first letter of John, it’s a little bit like spaghetti on a plate.5600:06:23,679 –> 00:06:27,820You know everything sort of runs into everything else and it’s a little difficult to sort of5700:06:28,720 –> 00:06:35,420the individual strands. Where does one piece begin and where does one piece end?5800:06:35,420 –> 00:06:41,579So let me for a few moments try and pull out six different strands that are all mixed up5900:06:41,579 –> 00:06:46,820and woven together to change the analogy in these remarkable verses.6000:06:46,820 –> 00:06:52,500There are six distinct element. Number one as we look at God’s part is that6100:06:52,500 –> 00:06:57,040God loves us. Verse 19, He first loved us.6200:06:57,040 –> 00:07:02,940Verse ten in this is loved not that he loved God, but that He loved us.6300:07:02,940 –> 00:07:11,839Verse 11, God so loved us. God loved you before you ever loved Him.6400:07:11,839 –> 00:07:16,260God loved you when you had no interest in Him, when you ignored Him, when you resisted6500:07:16,260 –> 00:07:20,760Him. You did not win the heart of God by loving6600:07:21,600 –> 00:07:28,779Him,’ no. God has won your heart by loving you. He first loved us.6700:07:28,779 –> 00:07:34,899Now how did we know that God loved us? Well, second great truth here, God sent His6800:07:34,899 –> 00:07:42,420Son for us. Look at verse 9, in this, the love of God was made manifest or shown, made6900:07:42,420 –> 00:07:50,239known to us that God sent His only son into the world so that we might live through him.7000:07:50,260 –> 00:07:56,720Verse 10, in this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His7100:07:56,720 –> 00:08:06,359Son to be the preparation for our sins. Or verse 14, the Father has sent His Son to be7200:08:06,359 –> 00:08:12,320the Savior of the world. And so John here is answering the question, how do we know7300:08:12,320 –> 00:08:17,399that God is love? This first great truth that He’s affirmed for us. How do we know that7400:08:17,559 –> 00:08:24,559God loves us? And He’s telling us, don’t try and discern the love of God from the state7500:08:24,920 –> 00:08:31,920of the world or from your own experience in life. This world is in rebellion against God,7600:08:34,159 –> 00:08:38,679and because it’s in rebellion against God, it suffers the severe and pervasive effects7700:08:38,679 –> 00:08:45,340of its own rebellion. And because we live in this world, we experience in our lives7800:08:45,380 –> 00:08:52,380a very strange mixture of good and of evil, but God has given to us what we most need.7900:08:52,580 –> 00:08:59,440God wants us to live and so He has sent His Son into the world, verse 9, that we might8000:08:59,440 –> 00:09:06,359live through Him. And this is why Jesus came. This is why He suffered and died on the cross8100:09:06,500 –> 00:09:13,039to be, John says the propitiation for our sins which simply means that the sacrifice8200:09:13,500 –> 00:09:18,880of His life would remove the judgement and condemnation that otherwise sin would bring8300:09:18,880 –> 00:09:28,900to all of us. So God loves us. God sent His Son for us. And then the third great truth8400:09:29,140 –> 00:09:36,140in regards to God and what He has done is that God abides in us by His Spirit verse8500:09:36,840 –> 00:09:43,84013. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit.8600:09:45,940 –> 00:09:52,940Then He says in verse 12, if we love one another God abides in us and His love is perfected8700:09:54,580 –> 00:10:01,580in us. In other words, the love of God has been poured out and it is poured in. It was8800:10:02,440 –> 00:10:09,440poured out on the cross where Jesus died for our sins and it is poured in by the Holy Spirit8900:10:11,440 –> 00:10:18,440who John says abides in us. The Holy Spirit brings the presence of God and since God is9000:10:21,640 –> 00:10:28,640love, he thereby brings the love of God into the life of every believer. John says in verse9100:10:28,679 –> 00:10:35,679seven, love is from God and whoever loves has been borne of God. Borne of God. Now to9200:10:37,219 –> 00:10:43,840be borne of someone means that something of that person’s life is in you. That is what9300:10:43,840 –> 00:10:49,919it means to be borne of someone. What John is telling us is that when we believe in the9400:10:49,919 –> 00:10:56,919Lord Jesus Christ, the life and the love of God come to be in us than it actually is.9500:10:58,760 –> 00:11:05,479In us, by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. And this John says is how you can9600:11:05,479 –> 00:11:12,479love. Not only are you loved by God, but God’s love has come to you, it reaches you. It is9700:11:13,520 –> 00:11:19,659actually in you by the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, in your life. The Spirit9800:11:19,659 –> 00:11:25,960of God abides in you and if the Spirit of God abides in you than by definition, the9900:11:26,080 –> 00:11:33,080love of God abides in you. One writer puts it this way. Love cannot be got up. It is10000:11:37,479 –> 00:11:44,479the result of God entering and possessing the soul. Love is not something you have to10100:11:46,239 –> 00:11:53,239dredge up from within yourself. It is the effect of God himself who is love, entering10200:11:54,200 –> 00:12:01,200and taking possession of your own soul. The Spirit of God living in you.10300:12:07,520 –> 00:12:11,599You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, and we have to pause the message10400:12:11,599 –> 00:12:16,700briefly there. We’ll continue to look at the Spirit of God in the life of a believer.10500:12:16,700 –> 00:12:21,940So do stay with us. The message is called Love Comes From God and it’s part of our10600:12:21,960 –> 00:12:26,960series, Grow in Love. If you’ve ever missed one of the messages in the series, it’s10700:12:26,960 –> 00:12:32,080very easy to catch up or go back and listen again by coming online to our website openthebible.org.uk10800:12:32,099 –> 00:12:39,799or alternatively, go to your favorite podcast site and search there for Open the Bible10900:12:39,799 –> 00:12:44,419UK. You’ll find all of Pastor Colin’s messages which have already been broadcast11000:12:44,419 –> 00:12:50,320right there on the internet. Back to the message now, we’re in 1 John Chapter 4. Here again11100:12:50,320 –> 00:13:02,539is Pastor Colin. The spirit of God living in you. Now, I want you to think by way of11200:13:02,539 –> 00:13:11,200illustration, for a moment, about what it would be like if the spirit of Mick Jagger11300:13:11,200 –> 00:13:18,419lived in me.This, for anyone who has not been around for the last 60 years, Mick Jagger11400:13:18,440 –> 00:13:22,840is lead singer of the Rolling Stones, and I’ve chosen him as an illustration because11500:13:22,840 –> 00:13:30,599I can hardly imagine a person who’s more different from me. The idea of the spirit11600:13:30,599 –> 00:13:37,960of Mick Jagger, living in me, is just totally incongruous. I mean here I am, I know I sort11700:13:37,960 –> 00:13:42,799of walk around a little bit stiff and a little bit starchy, and Mick Jagger moves about as11800:13:42,799 –> 00:13:51,280if he had joints of rubber. I try my best to speak in what we used to refer to as the11900:13:51,280 –> 00:13:59,820Queen’s English, and Mick Jagger says things like, let’s rock that baby to the max. And12000:13:59,820 –> 00:14:04,919he’s not even talking about trying to put a child to sleep in the nursery. I mean, if12100:14:05,039 –> 00:14:12,820I spoke like Mick Jagger, people would say, what in the world is wrong with Colin? And12200:14:12,820 –> 00:14:19,960then someone would say, you see, it’s the spirit of Mick Jagger, that’s in him! If the12300:14:19,960 –> 00:14:27,039spirit of Mick Jagger lived in me, I would be a totally different person. And of course,12400:14:27,039 –> 00:14:31,700if this rather incongruous thing were to happen, I would also experience a great deal of tension.12500:14:32,080 –> 00:14:37,599Can you imagine, the spirit of Mick Jagger in me would want to dance all the time! And12600:14:37,599 –> 00:14:43,960I think it would take time for this body to adapt and become responsive to the prompting12700:14:43,960 –> 00:14:50,780of that new spirit. But one thing is very obvious and clear, and you have the point,12800:14:50,780 –> 00:15:00,500that if the spirit of Mick Jagger lived in me, I would be very different from the way I am right12900:15:00,539 –> 00:15:12,539now. Now try and take this in. As you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God13000:15:13,239 –> 00:15:28,200comes to live in you, and abide in you. Over time, the presence of the Spirit of God, Who is Love,13100:15:29,099 –> 00:15:35,880will change you. It will change the way you speak, it will change the way you13200:15:35,880 –> 00:15:43,460think, it will change the way you act, and it will change the way that you love.13300:15:43,460 –> 00:15:54,900Friends, these really are life-changing truths. God loves us. God sent His Son for13400:15:55,080 –> 00:16:03,059us. God abides in us by His Holy Spirit. If you’re a believer, you can personalize13500:16:03,059 –> 00:16:11,340these truths. You can say, God loves me. God sent his Son for me. God’s Spirit13600:16:11,340 –> 00:16:21,859lives in me. Now, there are, as it were, the three strands that we can pull out13700:16:22,119 –> 00:16:29,039from what John is saying of what God has done? What about the strands of what we13800:16:29,039 –> 00:16:34,520do? What about our part? Well first, our part is that we love. Notice he says in13900:16:34,520 –> 00:16:43,280verse 19, we love because He first loved us. Verse 7, let us love one another, for14000:16:43,280 –> 00:16:50,020love comes from God. Or Verse 11, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one14100:16:50,179 –> 00:16:57,460another. Or Verse 12, if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is14200:16:57,460 –> 00:17:06,560perfected in us. So, God calls us to actively love one another in the way14300:17:06,560 –> 00:17:12,760that He has loved us, that is we are to give what we have first received. And14400:17:12,760 –> 00:17:19,900John says here very beautifully that God’s love is perfected in us. And what14500:17:19,900 –> 00:17:25,180that means very simply is it’s made complete. It fulfills its own ultimate14600:17:25,180 –> 00:17:30,900purpose. In other words, God did not intend that His love should end with you.14700:17:30,900 –> 00:17:35,780The purpose of God is that His love should flow into you in order that it14800:17:35,780 –> 00:17:40,520should flow out from you into the lives of others. And God’s love fulfills its14900:17:40,520 –> 00:17:45,300ultimate purpose, that it is perfected when we give what we have received in15000:17:45,400 –> 00:17:55,719loving one another. We love, and then John tells us we believe. Verse 15,15100:17:55,719 –> 00:18:00,900whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God.15200:18:00,900 –> 00:18:09,099Or verse 16, so we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.15300:18:09,900 –> 00:18:15,979So to believe is to be fully persuaded that God loves you,15400:18:15,979 –> 00:18:21,760that God’s Son gave himself for you, and that God’s Spirit lives within you.15500:18:22,400 –> 00:18:26,859And believing these truths, and you do actually have to believe them,15600:18:26,859 –> 00:18:31,780believing these truths of the gospel will enable you to love.15700:18:31,780 –> 00:18:35,660And the more deeply you believe these life changing truths,15800:18:35,660 –> 00:18:39,119the more deeply you are going to be able to love.15900:18:40,599 –> 00:18:43,719And then John has a third strand of what we do16000:18:43,739 –> 00:18:45,959and that is that we abide.16100:18:46,520 –> 00:18:51,479Verse 16, God is love and whoever abides in love.16200:18:51,479 –> 00:18:53,420So there we are. We are abiding in love.16300:18:53,459 –> 00:18:57,819Whoever abides in love, abides in God, and God abides in him.16400:18:58,219 –> 00:19:00,479Or verse 15, whoever confesses16500:19:00,479 –> 00:19:04,500that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him.16600:19:04,500 –> 00:19:06,219And he and God.16700:19:06,219 –> 00:19:10,219Or verse 13, by this we know that we abide in Him16800:19:10,219 –> 00:19:13,599and he in us because he has given us of his spirit.16900:19:14,500 –> 00:19:19,500Now to abide simply means to live or to dwell.17000:19:19,500 –> 00:19:22,459Abide is what you do in your home.17100:19:22,459 –> 00:19:26,000So you can get the meaning from that analogy.17200:19:26,040 –> 00:19:31,040At home you rest, you eat, you find joy.17300:19:33,660 –> 00:19:35,979That’s a place where you’re more yourself17400:19:35,979 –> 00:19:38,699than any other place.17500:19:38,699 –> 00:19:42,119And John says we abide in God.17600:19:42,119 –> 00:19:44,119That means that we rest in God.17700:19:44,119 –> 00:19:45,680We find joy in God.17800:19:45,680 –> 00:19:48,280We’re at home with God.17900:19:48,280 –> 00:19:49,439We walk with God.18000:19:49,439 –> 00:19:52,959We nourish ourselves on God.18100:19:53,000 –> 00:19:58,000We have a living heart-to-heart communion with God.18200:19:59,420 –> 00:20:03,800So now here are three things that God does18300:20:03,800 –> 00:20:07,760and three things that we do.18400:20:07,760 –> 00:20:09,459God loves us.18500:20:09,459 –> 00:20:11,459God sent his son for us.18600:20:11,459 –> 00:20:13,319And God’s spirit lives in us.18700:20:13,319 –> 00:20:15,079Abides in us.18800:20:15,079 –> 00:20:17,880And as a result of these things that God does,18900:20:17,880 –> 00:20:19,400we are able to love,19000:20:19,400 –> 00:20:20,680and to believe,19100:20:20,680 –> 00:20:23,540and to abide.19200:20:23,540 –> 00:20:26,319So now you have six major themes,19300:20:26,319 –> 00:20:27,859three that are God’s part,19400:20:27,859 –> 00:20:30,079three that are our part,19500:20:30,079 –> 00:20:32,420and I’ve tried to draw them out19600:20:32,420 –> 00:20:35,239like individual strands of spaghetti19700:20:35,239 –> 00:20:38,599so that we can see the different elements19800:20:38,599 –> 00:20:41,520that are here in what John is saying to us.19900:20:41,520 –> 00:20:44,939But of course, no one serves spaghetti20000:20:44,939 –> 00:20:49,459with individual pieces laid out straight on a plate.20100:20:49,459 –> 00:20:51,540The way you serve and the way you eat spaghetti20200:20:51,540 –> 00:20:52,939is it’s all mixed up20300:20:52,939 –> 00:20:58,060and it’s beautifully heaped together on the plate.20400:20:58,060 –> 00:21:00,959And that’s the point,20500:21:00,959 –> 00:21:02,979that while each of these elements20600:21:02,979 –> 00:21:05,459is so important to the whole,20700:21:05,459 –> 00:21:09,060you cannot pull them apart.20800:21:09,060 –> 00:21:11,420To change the analogy and put it another way,20900:21:11,420 –> 00:21:16,979think of these six as being like individual threads,21000:21:17,020 –> 00:21:21,079each of a different, beautiful color.21100:21:21,079 –> 00:21:22,319And what John is doing is21200:21:22,319 –> 00:21:26,719he’s weaving these threads together into one fabric.21300:21:26,719 –> 00:21:28,880If you were to try and pull one of the threads out,21400:21:28,880 –> 00:21:30,640you destroy the whole thing.21500:21:30,640 –> 00:21:32,619Each of them is interconnected.21600:21:32,619 –> 00:21:37,319Each of them are interdependent.21700:21:37,319 –> 00:21:41,739So let me just show you this from the passage.21800:21:41,739 –> 00:21:43,040You’ll quickly get the idea21900:21:43,040 –> 00:21:44,040and then you can work it out22000:21:44,040 –> 00:21:46,020with regards to all of the other verses.22100:21:46,020 –> 00:21:50,579Each verse is connecting different elements22200:21:50,579 –> 00:21:52,359of God’s love for us,22300:21:52,359 –> 00:21:53,979God sending his Son,22400:21:53,979 –> 00:21:55,880God abiding in us by his Spirit,22500:21:55,880 –> 00:22:00,119us loving, us believing and us abiding.22600:22:01,760 –> 00:22:03,060We have to pause the message there,22700:22:03,060 –> 00:22:04,359but we’ll be back next time22800:22:04,359 –> 00:22:06,579with the second half of that message.22900:22:06,579 –> 00:22:09,560That message is called Love Comes from God23000:22:09,560 –> 00:22:12,719and it’s part of our longer series, Grow in Love.23100:22:12,719 –> 00:22:14,780And if you’ve missed any of the messages in the series,23200:22:15,319 –> 00:22:17,739you can easily catch up or go back and listen again23300:22:17,739 –> 00:22:22,680by coming online to our website openthebible.org.uk23400:22:22,680 –> 00:22:24,839or go to wherever you get your podcasts23500:22:24,839 –> 00:22:27,579and search there for Open the Bible UK.23600:22:28,479 –> 00:22:30,099What if you could go on a hike23700:22:30,099 –> 00:22:33,040with Pastor Colin through the Bible story.23800:22:33,040 –> 00:22:34,880See how it all fits together23900:22:34,880 –> 00:22:37,479and how it all points to Jesus.24000:22:37,479 –> 00:22:38,939Well, now you can24100:22:38,939 –> 00:22:42,099with the new podcast, Hike Through the Bible.24200:22:42,099 –> 00:22:43,979Yeah, and this is for everyone24300:22:43,979 –> 00:22:46,239who wants to understand the Bible better24400:22:46,239 –> 00:22:49,540and for everyone who wants to love Jesus more.24500:22:49,540 –> 00:22:51,780In each episode, I’ll read a chapter24600:22:51,780 –> 00:22:53,739from my book Hike Through the Bible24700:22:53,739 –> 00:22:56,060and then I’ll discuss it with some friends.24800:22:56,060 –> 00:22:58,579A new episode releases every week24900:22:58,579 –> 00:23:01,979and so, you can take this hike at a gentle pace.25000:23:01,979 –> 00:23:05,739In a year, you’ll have covered the entire Bible story.25100:23:05,739 –> 00:23:08,900I really hope that you’ll join me on this journey25200:23:08,900 –> 00:23:11,380and it’s not too late to get started now.25300:23:11,420 –> 00:23:14,800Well you can subscribe to Hike Through the Bible podcast25400:23:14,800 –> 00:23:16,719wherever you get your podcasts25500:23:16,719 –> 00:23:19,020and you can find out more information25600:23:19,020 –> 00:23:23,420on our website, OpentheBible.org.uk.25700:23:23,420 –> 00:23:25,859Open the Bible is able to be on this station25800:23:25,859 –> 00:23:28,619as well as our website and the podcasts25900:23:28,619 –> 00:23:30,000because listeners like you26000:23:30,000 –> 00:23:32,859give generously to support our work.26100:23:32,859 –> 00:23:35,540So if you already support Open the Bible in this way,26200:23:35,540 –> 00:23:37,339thank you so much.26300:23:37,339 –> 00:23:38,900If supporting Open the Bible26400:23:39,000 –> 00:23:41,500is something you want to start doing this month,26500:23:41,500 –> 00:23:42,819we’d love to say thank you26600:23:42,819 –> 00:23:45,420by sending you Pastor Colin’s brand new book,26700:23:45,420 –> 00:23:46,979Grow in Hope.26800:23:46,979 –> 00:23:49,619It’s a 30 day devotional study26900:23:49,619 –> 00:23:53,900drawing on scripture and years of pastoral experience.27000:23:53,900 –> 00:23:56,420Colin, who is this book for?27100:23:56,420 –> 00:23:59,680Well, this is for everybody who wants to have hope27200:23:59,680 –> 00:24:02,180and I think that’s absolutely every person.27300:24:02,180 –> 00:24:03,540We all need hope.27400:24:03,540 –> 00:24:07,060And if you would like to have hope drip fed27500:24:07,099 –> 00:24:09,459into your life for 30 days,27600:24:09,459 –> 00:24:13,380then Grow in Hope is a devotional that will do just that.27700:24:13,380 –> 00:24:16,420It’s full of the promises of God,27800:24:16,420 –> 00:24:19,500it shows that hope comes from God,27900:24:19,500 –> 00:24:22,300it comes to us through the Lord, Jesus Christ,28000:24:22,300 –> 00:24:25,739and it comes to us by His marvellous grace.28100:24:25,739 –> 00:24:27,060So 30 days of hope,28200:24:27,060 –> 00:24:29,060I think that’s something that everyone can use28300:24:29,060 –> 00:24:30,400and I hope it’s gonna be a blessing28400:24:30,400 –> 00:24:31,540to everyone who reads it.28500:24:31,540 –> 00:24:33,959So Pastor Colin’s book, Grow in Hope,28600:24:33,959 –> 00:24:35,079is our gift to you28700:24:35,239 –> 00:24:37,140when you set up a new direct debit28800:24:37,140 –> 00:24:39,640of £5 per month or more28900:24:39,640 –> 00:24:42,400or a one-off gift of £60 or more29000:24:42,400 –> 00:24:45,660to support the work of Open the Bible this month.29100:24:45,660 –> 00:24:47,739Full terms and conditions are on our website29200:24:47,739 –> 00:24:49,880at openthebible.org.uk29300:24:49,880 –> 00:24:52,380and you can give online.29400:24:52,380 –> 00:24:53,260Don’t forget though,29500:24:53,260 –> 00:24:56,020to leave your full name and address when you donate29600:24:56,020 –> 00:24:59,199so we’ll be able to send you your gift.29700:24:59,199 –> 00:25:01,459For Open the Bible and pastor Colin Smith,29800:25:01,459 –> 00:25:02,760I’m David Pick,29900:25:02,760 –> 00:25:04,219thanks for being with us today30000:25:04,260 –> 00:25:07,660and we look forward to having you join us again next time.30100:25:15,239 –> 00:25:17,339You’d like to grow your love for others30200:25:17,339 –> 00:25:20,199but you really don’t know where to start.30300:25:20,199 –> 00:25:23,839Discover 6 practical strategies for growing in love30400:25:23,839 –> 00:25:27,199next time on Open the Bible, with Pastor Colin Smith.