When life heats up the fiery furnace for you, do not worry,
because Jesus is in us, right there with us. When we walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, we have nothing to fear, because He is right there in us.
The world rewards human capacities such as intelligence, talent and earthly
accomplishments; however, these have no bearing in the Kingdom of God. There is
no facade or pretense that we can use to impress God to love us more than He
already does (John 3:16-17).
Jesus’ love fulfills the Biblical law (Matthew
5:17-20). He approves of us just the way we are (John
15:12). In turn, He calls us to treat one another with this same
love and acceptance. Our union with Christ draws us to walk in obedience to Him
and His Word. His love through us is proof that His new life resides within us (John
13:34-35). This removes the excuse that the church is full of
hypocrites. The world is drawn to the family of God, when they see His love in
us.
Christ in us is the quintessence of His Divine love. He
loves the undeserving and unappreciative with the same fervor that He loves
those who choose to obey Him (John 3:16-18). The more we allow Christ’s love to flow through
us, the more conviction these contrary people will feel; and the more they are
drawn to accept Christ as their Savior. God gives us His Divine love for them;
we simply allow it to flow through us.
God also gives us His heart of love for all fallen
humanity. This love transcends the earthly realm and is full of the Spirit of
God. Due to the humility we learn through squarely facing our imperfections, we
can love others without judgment or expectations. We live as continuous
examples of Christ’s sacrificial love to our family and to everyone we meet.
His love in us is the common denominator that makes us all equal to one
another.
Prayer:
Father God, remind us to live for You and to serve one
another. As we follow Your guidance and direction, we will not enable others or
codependently slip into the role as a caretaker beyond Your direction. Teach us
to live in step with Your Spirit and to love as You direct us to. Allow nothing
in my character or behavior to dim the light of Your Divine love through me. We
count it as a privilege to be called by Your name and to express Your love to
the world.
Thought for the Day:
Jesus taught us by His example to live as a servant to all.