Month: February 2023

February 8th – 1 Peter 4:8

Leave a Comment / Daily Devotional / By

1 Peter 4:8

The one thing Peter wanted Christians to know above all else, was the importance of loving one another. Not because loving others earns God’s forgiveness. For we know that our sins are paid for through the blood of Christ. And forgiveness for sin comes only through trusting in Him. Instead it means that all, even Christians, are sinners who fail and need forgiveness daily. And by remembering the grace shown to us, we can love each when hurt, forgive each other when wronged, and build each other up when we fall. Because love makes it possible for us to be, “hospitable to one another without complaint”, and to use our God given gifts and talents to serve one another. All with the goal of leading others to the Lord, so “in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Pet. 4:11) And as the days grow darker, our love needs to shine all the brighter.

 

February 7th – Hebrews 2:9

Leave a Comment / Daily Devotional / By

Hebrews 2:9

John 3:16 tells us that God loves us so much, He sent His only Son to pay the sin debt we owe. A love perfectly exampled through the humility of that sent Son, Jesus Christ. Seated on a throne of righteousness at the right hand of the Father, the Lord willingly became “lower than the angels”. He gave up glory and power for pain and sorrow, all because of love. Love for us and love for the Father. Coming in the form of a man, Christ endured all things and suffered all things so He could become our perfect, compassionate, High Priest. (Heb. 2:16-17) Jesus shed His precious blood, giving His life so we can live eternally. And because of His great sacrifice, He once again sits beside God crowned with glory and honor. Such a love we can scarcely comprehend, and one we don’t deserve. Yet God offers His love freely. All we have to do is open our hearts and receive it.

 

February 6th – Romans 12:20

Leave a Comment / Daily Devotional / By

Romans 12:20

Some people are just hard to love. Those who no matter what we do, will criticize, judge, and find fault. Yet no matter how they treat us, God is very clear. We are never to repay evil for evil. (1 Thess. 5:15) Dealing with others not as mean as they are, but rather as good as God is. For when we do, Paul tells us it’s as if we are “heaping burning coals on their head.” But far from the picture of destruction these coals paint, they aren’t meant to consume our enemies with fire. Instead our coals of love are meant to melt even the coldest and hardened of hearts. Once we were enemies of God. Yet instead of giving us what we deserved, He gave us what we didn’t. Providing His Son as a path of reconciliation so He could call us His beloved. And when we too choose compassion over revenge, sharing the grace of God with others, we show the Lord how thankful we are for the unmerited love He so generously gives to us.

 

February 5th – Matthew 22:34-40

Leave a Comment / Daily Devotional / By

Matthew 22:34-40

All Jesus did and endured was because of His great love for us. And when approached by a Pharisee who asked what was the greatest commandment of all, the Lord’s answer? Love. Love for God, and each other. Love is so vital, Jesus adds, upon this is the foundation of the Law and the Prophets. But loving as Jesus loves can only happen if our love for Him is greater than our love for ourselves. And the proof of this is in the way we treat others. For as the apostle John points out, to say that we love God and yet not love others, makes us liars. (1 John 4:20) On our own a true, Christlike love may seem impossible. But through the work of the Holy Spirit, we can have hearts which no longer demonstrate a self centered, sinful love, but the completely selfless and sacrificial love of Jesus.

February 4th – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Leave a Comment / Daily Devotional / By

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

I once read that in todays society, love is overused and undervalued. We love our families, food, celebrities, pets, and favorite outfit. And often we find ourselves saying, “I love this” or, “I love you” without a second thought. But throughout the Bible God says love is the highest attribute of a Christian. And He gives us four types. Eros is the romantic, passionate love we feel for our spouse. Storge is the affectionate love a parent feels for a child, or how we feel for our pets. Philia is the love we feel for our friends and fellow Christians. But the the greatest love of all, and the one we should strive for, is agape love. Agape love is the perfect, unconditional love God shows us through Jesus Christ. Sparing nothing, not even His own Son, God loves us so much, He gives us everything. And as followers of Jesus, we need to show that same unselfish, gracious, love to a hurting world. For as Paul reminds us, no matter what we have or do, if we don’t have love, we have nothing.

February 3rd – Luke 6:44

Leave a Comment / Daily Devotional / By

Luke 6:44

Jesus says that each of us is a fruit bearing tree. And the way in which we live our lives, meaning the decisions we make, the words we speak, and our actions towards others, determine the goodness of our bounty. The world is starving for the ripe, filling, spiritual fruit of God. And I want my tree to be one that produces an abundant harvest for the Lord. To do that I need to dig deep in the dirt. Fertilizing my roots with God’s Word to get firmly planted in Him. My branches need to stretch far and wide in the hopes of providing love and comfort for others. My trunk needs to be healthy and strong before I notice the flaws in another’s. And my leaves need to seek the light of God’s presence. Trusting in Him alone to provide the warmth and nutrients I need for my fruit to grow and ripen. Doing all, “in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of the Lord.” (Col. 1:10)

February 2nd – Matthew 24:10

Leave a Comment / Daily Devotional / By

Matthew 24:10 

The Bible gives us many signs to look for which signal we are living in the end of days. In Matthew 24 Jesus speaks of Christians turning from their faith. And hearts once belonging to Him growing hard, dark, and cold. We live in a world more divided than together. And hate is in ample supply. Over the years through movies, television, video games, and social  media, we as a society have been desensitized. Desensitized to the value of life, goodness, truth, and love. Yet as the world grows cold, we as followers of Christ need to keep our fires burning. To turn up the heat in our hearts, not letting our passion for Jesus die out. For this world is in desperate need of the love of Jesus Christ. And as His ambassadors we need to shine with the light of His love, and radiate the warmth of His grace.

February 1st – Colossians 3:12

Leave a Comment / Daily Devotional / By

Colossians 3:12

How much time you spend choosing your clothes for the day? Do you carefully pick out pieces that perfectly coordinate, or are you the throw on and go type? How we dress represents to the world who we are. And as citizens of heaven our attire should reflect those who have been, “chosen of God, holy and beloved.” That means throwing away the filthy rags of immorality, greed, and wickedness. Choosing instead to put on our God given spiritual outfit. An outfit built on a foundation of a Christlike love. And perfectly coordinated with the accessories of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We are called to be distinguishable from the rest of the world, with love being evident in everything we do. So much so that when people see us in our godly outfits, they’ll want to know who the designer is!