John 21:17b, Do you love me?

Acts 10:38, …how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

Acts 9:36-42, In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”

39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

Joppa  -  Beautiful

Tabitha  -  Gazelle

How to Live a Life of “Loving God and Doing Good”

1.  Loving with Unconditional Compassion

Galatians 5:13, You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

“The Church is the Church only when it exists for others...not dominating, but helping and serving.”

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

2.  Obeying in Sweet Surrender

John 14:15, If you love me, keep my commands.

“The true test of love of God is obedience to all His commands – not partial, occasional or selective, but complete surrender!”

- Andrew Murray

3.  Walking in Humble Service

Micah 6:8, He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

“The servant of Christ is to walk in the footsteps of Christ – and he took a towel and basin. The true measure of our spiritual life is not how high we climb, but how low we are willing to stoop.”

- Andrew Murray

4.  Following with Complete Trust

Isaiah 50:10, Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.

"Faith is not believing that God can, it is knowing that God will, even when He hasn’t yet shown you how.”

- Corrie ten Boom

5.  Worshiping With Hopeful Hearts

Psalm 42:5, Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

“Hope is the anchor of the soul and worship is the music of that anchored soul. When hope is strong, worship is jubilant, even amidst the storm. The man who can sing in the dark has a hope that the world cannot extinguish.”

- Charles Spurgeon

6.  Giving With Grateful Generosity

2 Corinthians 9:7, Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

“A grateful heart is a giving heart. He who truly thanks God for all His mercies will not be slow to share them with his brethren. Our liberality is but the shadow of our gratitude.”     

- Charles Spurgeon

In case you missed it…

Answers: 

1. Unconditional
2. Sweet
3. Humble
4. Trust
5. Hopeful
6. Grateful