“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1 NIV
The Father’s great love should also instruct us about our relationships with one another. We are to imitate God by walking in love, with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross as our greatest example! If we need more specifics about what walking in love really looks like, go to Paul’s great chapter on love in 1 Corinthians 13. He writes, love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Can we substitute our name in place of “love”? Those qualities should increasingly describe our relationships with others, beginning with those that we live with. We are all prone to excusing our lack of love by blaming those that we are supposed to love. We say, “I am usually a very loving person, but if you knew how unloving my husband is, you’d understand why I treat him the way I do.” Or, “I work long hours to provide for my wife, but all she does is gripe and criticize me. Sure, I’m mean and angry sometimes, but who wouldn’t be?” But such excuses don’t hold up because such unloving behaviour does not in any way resemble God’s great love for us. Where would we be if God made excuses for why He should withhold His love from us?
PRAYER THOUGHT
Father, through the power of Your Holy Spirit, may we love others like You love us.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for Your amazing and never-failing love for us. We repent of the excuses we make for not loving others. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, may we love others in the same way that You love us. AMEN
I.B.R.A. Readings
Mark 10:13-16
LISTEN TO TODAY’S DEVOTION
If you received our daily emails, please listen to today’s devotion on our website www.ffdl.co.za
On Facebook follow this link to start listening.