Love

February 16th – Proverbs 11:17

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Proverbs 11:17

There’s no way around it. It hurts when someone mistreats us. Yet while the world tells us to hurt them back, God tells us, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt. 5:44) Not an easy task on our own. But when our strength comes from God, there’s no limit to what we can do. For He is our Rock, Fortress, and Deliverer. And His grace will prevent us from saying or doing things that we will later regret. Such as wronging others, ruining relationships, and harming our own hearts. We serve a loving God who gives all who love Him unmerited mercy and forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ. And He wants us to do the same. Not only for the benefit for others, but also for ourselves. Because revenge and retribution makes our hearts grow hard and bitter. And keeps us from experiencing God’s very best for our lives.

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February 15th – 2 Corinthians 3:18

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2 Corinthians 3:18

You may be the only Bible someone reads or the only Jesus they see. That’s why it’s so important to reflect the true nature of God. And we can only do that by being transformed from, “glory to glory.” That means to be constantly maturing and growing in our walk with the Lord. And being continuously molded into in His image and who we were created to be. This isn’t to say that our transformation will come easy. There will be times when that change will be hard, frustrating, and painful. But if we keep seeking God, allow the Holy Spirit to work both in and through us, change will come. We are all God’s glorious works in progress, and one day when we dwell with Him forever, we will be perfect reflections of His image and glory. Until then we are to mirror God’s love to the world, becoming living examples of our Lord’s love.

 

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February 14th – 1 John 4:10

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1 John 4:10

Many are the attributes of our most high God. He is good, merciful, faithful, wise, and all powerful; just to name a few. But above of else, God is love. And if there could be doubt, read 1 John 4. For in this little chapter love is mentioned over 25 times, and lies the very heart of the Gospel. God doesn’t love us because we are good, special, worthy, or deserving in any way. He loves us because He is love. And it is out of that amazing, unmerited love, that He sent His only Son Jesus to pay the sin debt that we owe. All He asks in return is that we open our hearts to Him and receive His free gift of love and grace. That’s it. No strings attached, conditions to meet, or standards to reach. God loves us, and no matter how dirty, broken, or sinful we are, He wants to call us His own. God wants to pick up us, dust off the dirt, wipe away our tears, replace our sorrow with joy, and make us royalty in His kingdom forever.

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February 11th – 2 Corinthians 8:7

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2 Corinthians 8:7

Love isn’t only something we feel, love is also something we do. It isn’t enough just to have a desire to help others. Out of the abundant grace given to us through Jesus, we need to put that love into action. Not only to glorify God, but also as proof of our sincerity for the Lord. (2 Cor. 8:8) There is no greater example of love in action than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Willingly, out of His great love, He left behind the treasures, power, and majesty of heaven. And because of His sacrifice on the Cross, giving His life for ours, we as Christians are now heirs to His great kingdom. One day very soon our Savior will return to take us to that kingdom where we will dwell and reign with Him forever! Yet right up until the minute we hear Him call us home, we are to put our love in action. Demonstrating to a lost and hurting world the great love shown to us. And abounding in the most excellent grace of giving.

 

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February 10th – 1 John 4:7

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1 John 4:7

When you think of Jesus what is the first thing that pops into your head? For me it is His love. A love that He freely and joyfully gives to all. And a love that is so strong, He laid down His life to call us His own. And I in return love Him. But Jesus wants more than our love, He wants us to love others with the same passion that we reserve for Him. Every day society bombards us with false ideas of what love is. It makes us think that love just happens to us. And we have no control. After all, “the heart wants what the heart wants” right? But the Bible teaches completely the opposite. Love is a choice we make, something we can control, and the fruit of a spirit filled life. To love the Lord means loving all that He created.  Especially those created in His image. And no more is our love for the Lord evident than when we are loving others.

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February 5th – Matthew 22:34-40

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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.

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February 4th – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

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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.

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January 31st – Matthew 9:9

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Matthew 9:9

Each of the men Jesus called to be disciples, never once hesitated to follow Him. They didn’t take time to try and clean up their lives. They didn’t take time to wean themselves off the trappings of the world. And they didn’t take time to let go of the people and things of the past for a new and better future. Jesus met them and wanted them right where they were, and in a leap of faith, they answered His call straight away and began a life dedicated to the Lord. Just as He called the disciples, Jesus also calls each of us. “Follow Me!”, cries the Lord. “Follow Me and I’ll give you heavenly riches greater than the world could ever offer. Follow Me and let My love fill your hearts with a peace and joy that can never be shaken. Follow Me and I’ll give You eternal life purchased with My own precious blood. Follow Me, and help save the world!”

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January 20th – Philippians 2:2

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Philippians 2:2

One of the most wonderful things about the Gospel, is that it’s all inclusive. Because God loves each of us equally. And no one member of the church is more important than the next. So as members of the body of Christ, it’s important that we put ourselves aside and strive to meet the same goal in love, joy, and unity. That goal being sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, and advancing God’s kingdom on earth. We all love a little pat on the back along with acknowledgement and appreciation. But when our own desires become our main focus, no longer are we working for God. Instead we’re working for the pleasing of our own egos. And that goes against who Jesus is and what He teaches. For Jesus lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a humiliating, excruciatingly painful death nailed to a Cross. He willingly became our substitute for sin, paying the debt that we owed. All in accordance to the will of God and out of love for us!

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January 11th – 2 Corinthians 8:7

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2 Corinthians 8:7

In the days of Paul, the Jewish believers in Jerusalem were hurting. A famine had swept the land. Members of the church were disowned by their families, and taxes were levied against them by both Rome and the Jewish leaders. When the churches at Macedonia heard of their plight, even though they themselves were in deep poverty, they pleaded with Paul to let them help their brothers and sisters in Christ. From hearts filled with love for Jesus, and thankfulness for His saving grace, they were honored to show that same love and grace to others. And Paul calls us to do the same. Love isn’t only something we feel, love is also something we do. It isn’t enough just to have a desire to help others. Instead, we need to put that love into action, not only glorifying Him, but as proof of “the sincerity of your love” for the Lord. (vs. 8)

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