Welcome to the Further Gospel Podcast, where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people.

I'm your host Kosti Hen and I want to welcome our listeners on Apple Spotify and those enjoying

this in our YouTube video podcast format.

On today's episode I'm finishing our series on five priorities for winning this

Christmas. We've covered Christ, family, generosity, eternity, and now today, love.

Now, why is love a priority that will help you win this Christmas?

Because out of love flows humility, service, worship, obedience, joy, and love is ultimately how we reflect Christ

to the world and those around us this Christmas season. To help us understand this, I'm going to unpack 1st John, chapter 2 versus 7 to 11 in this episode.

And so if you're listening to this on the fly, hey, just follow along and reflect on it. but if you're able, hit pause, grab your

Bible and a notepad or journal and dig in with me into this text.

A medieval writer once said, to love at all is to be vulnerable.

Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.

Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries.

Avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.

But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change.

It will not be broken. It will become unbreakable impenetrable irredeemable the only

place outside heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love is hell. You know statements like this remind me

genuine love put something on the line genuine real love is vulnerable it's going to cost you and real genuine love

is going to cost you something this Christmas and that's hard. It seems

easier to be full of hate or to hold on to our bitterness or to hide yourself from the risk of love.

But hatred in particular is like burning down your entire house to get rid of one rat and bitterness

...