LOVE’S IMPACT

“[Love] It is not conceited—arrogant and inflated with pride; it is not rude (unmannerly), and does not act unbecomingly.  Love [God’s love in us] does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it—pays no attention to a suffered wrong.”—1 Corinthians 13:5(Amplified)

God loves people and they are always at the center of God’s affection.  Stop and think for a moment about just one scripture, John 3:16—For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only-begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish—come to destruction, be lost—but have eternal (everlasting) life (Amplified, emphasis added).”  Put your name in this Scripture and say, “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized (your name) that He [even] gave up His only-begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish—come to destruction, be lost—but have eternal (everlasting) life.”  It adds a whole different dimension to our thinking when we think, personally, of the impact of God’s love.

I often try to imagine what the Apostle Paul must have felt when love reached down and touched his life.  Paul was on the road to Damascus to persecute more Christians when God’s love intervened in his life and showed him a more excellent way.  The light of God intersected the path of darkness and forever changed the path of Paul’s life (Acts 19). 

In the Scripture, we can read account after account of people’s lives that were impacted by love.  Mary Magdalene, Dorcas, Lydia, Nicodemus, the Rich Young Ruler, Thomas, Phoebe, Priscilla and Aquila and Junia are a few of the people whose lives were radically impacted by love.   

I can add my name to the list.  God’s love impacted my life, saved me and delivered me from drugs and alcohol.  What impact has His love had upon your life?   

Let’s apply the scripture reading for today and ask the Lord to help us be mindful that His love in us is not conceited, arrogant and inflated with pride, and that we do not act/or react in a way that is rude or unmannerly or unbecomingly.  We do not insist upon our own way we are not self-seeking, touchy, fretful, or resentful and that we take no account of evil done to us and that we will not pay attention to a suffered wrong.  When we walk in love, we will be fruitful and produce good in our lives, the lives of people that we intersect with and in the kingdom of God.

Prayer—Heavenly Father, thank You that Your love in me abounds more and more.  Help me today to walk in Your love and to show Your love to the people I encounter today, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

USE YOUR TIME OF DELAY TO REFOCUS

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.”—Psalm 27:14

 

Are you currently waiting for the Lord to intervene in some way in your life, or in the life of a loved one?  One of the struggles we face as Christians is trying to understand sometimes there are delays over matters that seem so urgent to us. Only the Lord knows all of the reasons.  However, there are some lessons that we can learn from when Peter and John were arrested and put into jail. 

 

Peter and John were arrested and jailed because they preached in the name of Jesus, the resurrection from the dead, and people were being healed.  When they were brought up before the authorities they refused to compromise and would not cease to give their testimony.  They were threatened and released.  Peter and John returned to the people that they were with, and then began to worship and praise God.  The place was shaken where they were all gathered and they spoke the Word of God with boldness (Acts 4:1-31). 

 

The first lesson is: Determine Your Focus.  In the urgency of the moment, it is easy to center your attention on the need instead of on God.  Peter and John remained focused on their message, not on getting out of jail.  We may start out waiting for the Lord, but end up waiting for the answer we want.  Soon we become more interest in what God can do for us, rather than our focus remaining in Him.  Sometimes God delays until we get our focus back on Him.  He wants us to delight in Him; not in just what He can give to us.

 

Secondly, Release Your Expectations into His Hands.  Peter and John said, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. Fore we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).  The Lord is working on your behalf, but sometimes we cling so tightly to a desired outcome that He must wait until we open our hands and let go of our own expectations.  Holding onto your own assumptions about how the Lord should intervene is emotionally exhausting.  But peace awaits those who trust that He will do what is in our best interests in every situation that we encounter.

 

Prayer—Father I thank you that I keep my focus upon You and I release my desire into Your hands as I wait for the answer, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.