The Bible
– The
Good News Translation
9 Love
must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good. 1
0 Love one another warmly as Christian
brothers and sisters, and be eager to show respect for one another.
Thoughts:
In a world where family members are jealous of each other and
can’t stand to be in each others presence; where coworkers are so competitive
to reach the top or earn more commission and/or recognition, that they step
right over another employee, and may even do certain things to keep them from
doing their best; where church members want to be in charge or favored by the
pastor or can’t have their own way, so we see churches split or families leave
the church and move on to another; I wonder if the result would be any
different if we were to follow the advice of Paul in these two verses? Friends,
Christians are to be deep into the Word at every opportunity, but not less
frequently than daily, looking over God’s instructions to be sure that we live and
love like Him. You see, God’s Word contains our template for love, it tells us
about our Role Model, Jesus Christ. Our responsibility according to the Word,
is to go and minister to the world so that all may know Jesus. Don’t you know
that we are actually teaching them our evil ways when we act like the above
examples? Remember, our actions speak so loud that others will really not hear
what we are saying to them. I believe Paul is saying that we are not to be hypocritical.
If we claim Jesus as Lord, then we are to live like Him and seek to squish all the
evil thoughts we might receive that make us act and rationalize to cause the above
issues. Friends, Jesus is coming soon and we must live with that in mind. Don’t
dare live like the devil and think you’ll have time to seek forgiveness when
you hear that Jesus is coming down the street. The Bible says that we must live
in a state of readiness, because Jesus in no way needs our permission that the coast
is clear for Him to come and gather His bride (the church – us). This means that
we are to live and love like Jesus demands of us today. Don’t delay, please?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the creator of love, the One who showed ultimate
love, please forgive me for making a mockery of living and loving like You
exampled for me. Paul has reminded me that I need to live and love in ways that
others might recognize and want to know You personally. This is difficult to do
when I surrender to living and loving like the world. Father, please give me
strength to be a victor in living my life according to the model You displayed.
Please help me to stay so in tuned with Your Word that it will not only impact the
words from my lips, but the desires of my heart and the actions of my whole being.
Lord, sadly, I have ‘Christian’ family and friends that I know who are living
in sin, because they are acting just like the above examples given. Please use
this devotional today to speak to the hearts of those claiming You as Lord.
Please also speak to those who have not yet accepted You as Lord, for today is
the day of salvation, and there is no better time than today for them to seek
Your power and Your strength so that they too might live and love like You.
Lord, this old world is getting in extremely poor shape morally, for folk are
becoming more and more hardened to their sin. Please, I beg You, do a mighty
work in Your people today. Begin with us, Christians. Get us straight first, so
that we may be Your hands and Your feet on the ground seeking to impact the
lives of those that don’t know You. These things I ask humbly in Your precious
name and for Your sake, AMEN!
NOTE: If you have been
challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak
with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or
encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words
underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote
the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to
read or pray.
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