“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
1 John 4:9-11 (NIV)
Henry Drummond wrote, “You will find, as you look back upon your life, that the moments when you really lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.”
If God is love, then why do I grumble and complain? Why do I rail against the circumstances of my life? Why do I allow myself to fall into distrust, fear and depression? Why do I allow the love for Christ to cool down? Why do I act half-hearted and dispassionate in his service? Why do I ever allow other interests to gain my loyalty? Could others be influenced by my example of love? Am I expressing my love adequately to my spouse? To my family? To my neighbors? To my co-workers? To my church family? Does the quality of love that I show express the greatness of God’s love to me?
Dear Father, thank you for showing your love to me. Forgive me for the times when I have failed to return your love by loving others. Change my heart, O Lord, and empower me to live in the spirit of your love. I pray this in Jesus’ name. AMEN
Let us praise God for his love and live in the spirit of that love,
Pastor Smith