Focal Passage for 2011:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
Weekly Passage:
“(Love) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;”
1 Corinthians 13:6
In our previous devotion, we dove deep into the final portion of 1 Corinthians 13:5, “(love) thinks no evil.” Our focus this past year has been, and continues to be, learning to love others as Christ loves us. As I have shared before, my definition of love differs from God’s definition of love. God is teaching me that HE is the authority on all things. In light of that truth, if my definition is different than His, my definition is wrong!! “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
“More songs have been written about love than about any other topic. It has inspired some of the world’s best, and worst, poetry. It has set on fire, and broken, countless hearts throughout human history. Many things are said about love. Yet for the final word on the topic, we must turn to the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, provides the world’s most beautiful ode to love.
One common word for love in the Greek language was eros, which suggested physical sexual desire and not much else. Another word (philos) suggested the esteem and affection found in a casual friendship. Because neither of these words came close to describing the kind of love he wanted to communicate, Paul chose a relatively rare Greek word for his definitive passage on love. This word, agape, describes a love that is based on the deliberate choice of the one who loves rather than the worthiness of the one who is loved. This kind of love goes against natural human inclination. It is a giving, selfless, expect-nothing-in-return kind of love” (The Nelson Study Bible, p. 1933).
As I sit here at my desk this morning, I cannot help but think ahead to this Sunday, Resurrection Sunday. My time with the Lord this morning has been and continues to be a precious time of remembrance. This past week has been filled with opportunities for me to reflect upon the cross where Jesus died for me. God is drawing us to the cross as we prepare to celebrate the very reason we have salvation – complete freedom from sin, death, and destruction. Because, in our humanness, we are limited in our ability to comprehend the things of God, I struggle with understanding how the God of all creation, the King of kings, Lord of lords, Prince of peace, the Great I AM, would ever choose to die for me! WOW! To think that before the foundation of the world was laid, God chose to offer Himself as the Lamb who would take away the sins of the world.
My Friend, God did not decide this on a whim. HE did not create creation and then have to hurry up and try to fix something that man had destroyed! NO! God, in His infinite wisdom, chose to create a world knowing that the people would hate Him, reject Him, mock Him, refuse Him, yet HE willingly came to earth to live, die, and rise again in order that we might live! That truly takes my breath away! Why would the Lord God do such a thing? Scripture tells us “For God so loved the world that HE gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). God’s love is the reason that Jesus went to the cross and suffered and bled so that sinners could become children of God! We must understand that God’s love is very different than our love. We have the ability to love yet we do not always exercise that ability. Scripture tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). This means that everything God does flows from WHO HE IS!
In fact, let’s read that entire portion of Scripture. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that HE loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:7-10). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Scripture also says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). This directs us back to the truths that God has been revealing to us and teaching us for over a year now. We are called by God to love one another and to glorify Him through that step of obedience.
God does not love us because we are worthy of His love! We are vile, wicked sinners saved through grace. HE chose to love us, to send His Son to die for us, to shower us with grace and mercy so that we could enter His gates with thanksgiving. We are able to praise Him because HE gives us that ability to do so! Read our focal passage once more. “(Love) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth” 1 Corinthians 13:6. God Himself is the Supreme example of perfect, selfless, unspotted love. We, as children of God, are called to be that exact representation to all those people who God allows to enter our lives. Do we love as Christ loves us? Do we reach out and minister to those who are difficult to love? Do we seek to glorify God in every interaction that we have with others? Do we think more highly of others than ourselves? Does the world look at us and see Christ or do they look at us and see a person who loves only those who we “feel” deserves our love? Do we rejoice in truth and strive to live a life that points others to Christ?
May each of us fall before the Lord and allow Him to reveal any area in our hearts that do not honor Him. May we seek to love others as the Lord Jesus loves us. May God prepare our hearts, minds, and souls to worship Him this weekend as we reflect upon the Cross and His absolute display of selfless, perfect, and life-changing love! Praise You, Jesus, for first loving us and providing a way that captives can be set free!! May we live in freedom so that others will see You reflected in our lives and come to You for salvation. We love You and praise You for You truly are the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world!!!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #299
Focal Passage for 2011:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
Weekly Passage:
“(Love) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.”
1 Corinthians 13:5
In our previous devotion, we dove deep into the final portion of 1 Corinthians 13:5, “(love) thinks no evil.” Our focus this past year has been, and continues to be, learning to love others as Christ loves us. As I have shared before, my definition of love differs from God’s definition of love. God is teaching me that HE is the authority on all things. In light of that truth, if my definition is different than His, my definition is wrong!! “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
God has continued to reveal more truth to me regarding our study from last time. I am beginning to realize that my thought life has not been rooted and established in God’s truth. Growing up, I did not seek the Lord and His will for my life. Now, I did pray but my prayer life was self-focused and not honoring to God. My parents faithfully took my sister, Annette, and I to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. I heard truth and I could answer all the questions in class but I did not learn to apply God’s truth to my life. I viewed God as “a genie in a bottle.” I wanted Him to give me what I wanted, when I wanted it, and to make my life easy. As the years progressed, I became very discontent with church and the Lord. I allowed my understanding of God to be based on my “wisdom” and experiences.
As I entered my teenage years, my attitude and behavior become more and more rebellious and I became self-destructive. I refused to listen to wise counsel…I truly thought I knew everything! I believed the lies of Satan and I made assumptions on everyone around me. By this, I mean that I did not seek to understand other people or to consider them at all. If someone tried to correct me or speak truth to me, I became defensive and defiant. I would become angry at that person and assume their motive was evil toward me. I would hold grudges and refuse to forgive them. Needless to say, I was not an easy person to be around.
When the Lord convicted my heart of these things when I was 25 years old, I was broken hearted. My eyes were opened and I began to realize how much damage I had done to those around me, my relationships, and my own walk with the Lord. I cried out to God and begged for His forgiveness and asked Him to transform my entire life so that I could live my life in a way that truly honored him. Now, I will be the first to admit that I have not “arrived!” I am most certainly a “work in progress.” But the amazing thing is that God continues to draw me to Himself and HE loves me with an unconditional, unchanging, unending love! WOW!! “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us a ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).
My Friend, God desires the same thing for you! When we allow our thoughts to take us captive and we refuse to apply God’s truth to our lives, we will live in bondage. We will make assumptions on people’s motives. We will become bitter, unforgiving, and angry. We will become slaves to our flesh and will face frustration, disappointment, and dissatisfaction in our daily lives. Christ Jesus tells us that He came to give us abundant life but the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy (see John 10:10).
Are you allowing Satan to steal your joy? Are you allowing your thoughts to take you captive? Are you living a life that is full of bitterness, unforgiveness, and dissatisfaction? If so, you don’t have to continue in that destructive pattern! God’s Word promises us that we are “…in all these things…more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). How will you choose to live the rest of your life…In bondage or in the freedom that Christ Jesus came to offer you?
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
Weekly Passage:
“(Love) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.”
1 Corinthians 13:5
In our previous devotion, we dove deep into the final portion of 1 Corinthians 13:5, “(love) thinks no evil.” Our focus this past year has been, and continues to be, learning to love others as Christ loves us. As I have shared before, my definition of love differs from God’s definition of love. God is teaching me that HE is the authority on all things. In light of that truth, if my definition is different than His, my definition is wrong!! “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
God has continued to reveal more truth to me regarding our study from last time. I am beginning to realize that my thought life has not been rooted and established in God’s truth. Growing up, I did not seek the Lord and His will for my life. Now, I did pray but my prayer life was self-focused and not honoring to God. My parents faithfully took my sister, Annette, and I to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. I heard truth and I could answer all the questions in class but I did not learn to apply God’s truth to my life. I viewed God as “a genie in a bottle.” I wanted Him to give me what I wanted, when I wanted it, and to make my life easy. As the years progressed, I became very discontent with church and the Lord. I allowed my understanding of God to be based on my “wisdom” and experiences.
As I entered my teenage years, my attitude and behavior become more and more rebellious and I became self-destructive. I refused to listen to wise counsel…I truly thought I knew everything! I believed the lies of Satan and I made assumptions on everyone around me. By this, I mean that I did not seek to understand other people or to consider them at all. If someone tried to correct me or speak truth to me, I became defensive and defiant. I would become angry at that person and assume their motive was evil toward me. I would hold grudges and refuse to forgive them. Needless to say, I was not an easy person to be around.
When the Lord convicted my heart of these things when I was 25 years old, I was broken hearted. My eyes were opened and I began to realize how much damage I had done to those around me, my relationships, and my own walk with the Lord. I cried out to God and begged for His forgiveness and asked Him to transform my entire life so that I could live my life in a way that truly honored him. Now, I will be the first to admit that I have not “arrived!” I am most certainly a “work in progress.” But the amazing thing is that God continues to draw me to Himself and HE loves me with an unconditional, unchanging, unending love! WOW!! “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us a ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).
My Friend, God desires the same thing for you! When we allow our thoughts to take us captive and we refuse to apply God’s truth to our lives, we will live in bondage. We will make assumptions on people’s motives. We will become bitter, unforgiving, and angry. We will become slaves to our flesh and will face frustration, disappointment, and dissatisfaction in our daily lives. Christ Jesus tells us that He came to give us abundant life but the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy (see John 10:10).
Are you allowing Satan to steal your joy? Are you allowing your thoughts to take you captive? Are you living a life that is full of bitterness, unforgiveness, and dissatisfaction? If so, you don’t have to continue in that destructive pattern! God’s Word promises us that we are “…in all these things…more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). How will you choose to live the rest of your life…In bondage or in the freedom that Christ Jesus came to offer you?
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