Day 23 – The Ultimate Surrender
Matthew 26:39
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Luke 22:42
42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Imagine Jesus on the night before the crucifixion. He knows what is about to happen, and He knows why it must happen, but in His humanity, He still hurts.
We can be quick to forget that Jesus was a person like us. In this intense moment, we see Him ask God if there is any other way, though He knows there isn’t.
Perhaps we have this interaction to remind us that it was costly for Jesus to be our sacrifice. Yet, He still chose to surrender – even to the point of a painful, humiliating death and spiritual separation from God.
Spend some time reflecting on how Jesus felt in His moment of surrender. Thank Him for His sacrifice and ask God to help you surrender your own will to Him.
Day 22 - Our Mandate
Matthew 28:19 - 28:20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The great news of Easter is that Jesus died for our sins. But Easter also speaks of His resurrection and the new life He plans for every one of His creation.
When we are saved we receive a new purpose. The Bible calls it the ministry of reconciliation. God desires to be reconciled with everyone, and He works through us to do that.
He wants to have a relationship with each member of your family, your neighbours, your co-workers, your schoolmates, everyone in your world - one where His transformative love shines through and radically changes their lives.
Now is the time to start praying for the people we know by name. To be aware of the Holy Spirit’s prompting to talk with them about Jesus and invite them to know Him this Easter.
Jesus died for you... but He also died for them.
Who will you pray for? Who will you invite?
Day 21 - Love Always Has An Action
Matthew 22:37 - 22:40
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
John 14:15
15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
Take a moment to consider - “How does my life show my love for God?”
Often, we can fall into a pattern of rating our spiritual life by our church activity, or what we know about the Bible, or how long we've been a Christian.
The Bible tells a different story though. It says that we are known as disciples of Jesus by the way we love God and love others. There is a genuine expression of faith that is not spiritual activity but Spirit-empowered love and ministry.
What does an average day in your life look like? Think through your actions and attitudes towards others. Does it look like Jesus in the Gospels? What could you change today so that you are better known by your love for God and for others?
Day 20 - Follow the Cross
Colossians 3:12 - 3:14 (NIV)
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Matthew 18:21 - 18:35 (NIV)
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[a]
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[b] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.[c] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
God really cares about forgiveness. The cross is all about this! Jesus died so that we could be forgiven.
He then asks us to do the same.
Put yourself in this parable today. We have been forgiven of so much! An impossible debt that we could never have paid.
How do we now respond to others who sin against us? Do we show grace and mercy and extend God’s forgiveness? Or are we like the servant who refused to forgive others and acted unjustly, ungratefully and ultimately wicked?
We cannot claim to follow or love Jesus, to know the value of the cross, if we do not go out and do the same. How does your life reflect the cross today?
Day 19 - Unforgiveness is a Wedge Between You and God
Matthew 6:9-15 (NIV)
The Calling of Matthew
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Today's scripture is a hard truth to read.
Forgiveness is hard sometimes. Other people’s actions towards us can cause a lot of pain, both in the moment and many years down the track. It can feel like it is just an issue between you and them.
But God reminds us that unforgiveness is like an illness that infiltrates all our relationships – including the one between us and God.
Have you ever stopped to consider that unforgiveness hinders your relationship with God? Is there someone that you are struggling to forgive? God wants you to let go and ask for His help in this.
Spend some time in repentance today for any unforgiveness in your heart. Then, ask God for the strength to forgive and follow His guidance in this.
Day 18 - Confess In Community... Are You Crazy!
James 5:13 - 5:16 (NIV)
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Our modern culture celebrates individualism. “Chase your dreams and goals..." “Find what makes you happy...” “Be true to yourself...”
These sound lovely, but they miss the value of community and the growth we experience when we actively participate, serve and nurture others. They also lead to a personalised spirituality that is not always reflective of Jesus’ message or the early church!
God placed believers in community for a purpose: to grow and become who God calls us to be.
Confession in a church community requires great vulnerability. But its rewards are great freedom, encouragement and love!
Are there things you hide from others? Do you feel you have to maintain a certain image before your church community? Who can you trust to begin to truly be open about your struggles so that you can grow together?
Day 17 - Confession Is A Good Thing
1 John 1:8 - 1:9 (NIV)
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Proverbs 28:13
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Sometimes, we find ourselves rationalising our sin. Here's what it might sound like;
"It’s not as bad as someone else..."
"My good deeds cancel out my bad ones..."
"I’m mostly a good person..."
John makes it clear that we all sin. To think otherwise is to live in the dark, and that is not where we want to be!
We can be hesitant to bring our sins into the light. But confession brings freedom. It releases grace, which is the empowering presence of God, and John reminds us that if we confess, He is faithful and just to forgive us.
Confession is something to run towards, not run away from. It should be a part of our every day, and when we confess, we can be confident that God will forgive and purify us.
What do you need to confess today? How will you make confession a part of your time with God?
Day 16 - No Condemnation
Romans 8:1 - 8:17 (NIV)
8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[e] his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we
The Holy Spirit is a game changer in our lives.
We should be condemned for our sin, and guilt often keeps us stuck in a space of hopelessness, feeling that we could never live like Jesus.
God thinks very differently about us, though. He tells us that we are not condemned for our sins but that God has sent us the Holy Spirit to set us free from sin and empower us to live a life that glorifies God.
You can break free from the power of sin! You are now Sons and Daughters of God, co-heirs with Christ. Partnering with the Holy Spirit to renew our mind with His truth is often the first step in this freedom.
How does God’s truth call you into a new life in the Spirit? What are you speaking over your life that is contrary to this? Consider how you can change what you say to reflect who God sees you to be.
Day 15 - Forgiveness Is A New Beginning
2 Corinthians 5:14-17
14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
How good is a fresh start? A new year, new job, a new season or coming back after a great holiday.
A fresh start is that feeling where you are not bound to your past mistakes or direction. When you get a new page to write a new story. There is a freedom to it that we value.
God says we are a new creation in Christ! We get a totally new start. A new life. We also get the Holy Spirit to empower us. It is the ultimate gift of being set free from our past.
Do you need a fresh start somewhere in your life? Are you struggling or stuck in a pattern of sin? Reflect on God’s words through this verse. There is hope of breakthrough and freedom in Him. What is God saying today to the parts of your past that you are struggling to let go of?
Day 14 - No One Is Excluded
1 Timothy 2:1 - 2:7 (NIV)
2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.
The Bible uses the word “ALL” a lot! It is radically inclusive, and since Jesus gave His life for all people, no one is excluded from the invitation for forgiveness!
The truth is that Jesus died for all who came before Him and all who will come after Him. He died for every race, gender, age, personality and religious affiliation! He died for those who love Him and those who hate Him, those who follow Him and those who actively work against Him. God is the original author of radical inclusivity!
Is this how we see God? Knowing this should radically shape how we see others – especially those we may find difficult or different from ourselves.
Take some time to reflect on how inclusive you are of those who are different to you. Ask God to help expand your love for ALL people and to see them as He does.
Day 13 - The Cost of Forgiveness
John 1:29 (NIV)
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Isaiah 53:4 - 53:6 (NIV)
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Colossians 1:13 - 1:14 (NIV)
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
God’s forgiveness did not come without significant cost.
When God created the world, He put laws in motion for our benefit. But those laws also meant that once sin entered, there was no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood.
God will not violate the free will of mankind but He also did not give up on us. In His incredible love and mercy, He sent His only son Jesus, who chose to bear our punishment upon Himself so that we can be forgiven.
This is an act of incredible love and sacrifice, and one that completely changes our lives! Let’s never lose perspective of what God has done for us.
Take some time to reflect on how God’s forgiveness has impacted your life. What have you been set free from? Thank God for his forgiveness today, and look for opportunities to share your story with others.
Day 12 - We Don't Get What We Deserve
Psalm 103:8-12 (NIV)
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
Romans 6:23 (NIV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We don’t get what we deserve with God. And that is an amazing truth that sometimes we are quick to forget.
The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. We tend to rationalise sin. To downplay it. But no matter how big or small or acceptable we think sin is, the truth is that all sin leads to death.
But God did not treat us as we deserve. He does not remember our sin nor hold it against us. His love is so great that through Jesus, we receive total forgiveness when we confess our sins and accept His grace.
How does it make you feel to know that God’s forgiveness removes your sin entirely?
How do you approach God when you sin? Do you see Him as the Lord who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love?
Begin to talk with God about your sin today, knowing that He has fully forgiven you.
Day 11 - The Depths of God's Forgiveness
Psalm 103 (NIV)
1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Forgiveness is hard. It’s counter-cultural and flies against our modern worldview that places our needs and wants above everything else.
It can feel unfair... until we need it.
To receive forgiveness is sweet. It’s freeing, loving and generous. It’s full of grace and a valuable gift. Often we need to truly realise how much we have been forgiven so that we can offer forgiveness to others more freely.
It is good to meditate on the depths of God’s forgiveness towards us. Begin by praying through Psalm 103 slowly today. Verses 3-4 tell us that God forgives all our sins and crowns us with love and compassion.
Are there areas of your life that you feel you need to hide from God? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the love and compassion of your heavenly Father.
Day 10 - Do We Know Him
John 10:1 - 10:18 (NIV)
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep
10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Proverbs 3:5 - 3:6 (NIV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
When we know someone and experience their genuine love for us, we begin to recognise their voice. We trust and follow them, we know their character, and we care for the things they care about.
As you have reflected on God’s deep love for you, where are you at with knowing God? Do you sense His presence in your day? Do you recognise His voice, trust Him and follow Him?
God is inviting you into a deeper relationship with Him, where He becomes familiar and known to you. Even deeper than what you experience with your spouse, your child, or your closest friend.
This will require time with God and the best time to start is now!
Sit in silence with the Holy Spirit today and listen to His voice. What is He saying to you?
Day 9 - God’s Love Is Unfathomable
Ephesians 3:16-19(NIV)
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
God doesn’t put any limits on His love for all of humanity and His invitation to know Him.
His love includes ALL people and has been pursuing us long before we found Him!
We don’t have to compete for His love, nor will He ever run out of love for us. To know His love is the transforming value of the Gospel.
Unfortunately, we often become complacent with the familiar. We take God’s love for granted. This can happen when we only know about God’s love rather than “knowing” it daily for ourselves.
God desires that His love is a love that surpasses knowledge – a love that we experience personally and always. Knowing about someone and knowing someone are two very different things.
Do you know the depths of His love for you? How can you start to experience His love for you today?
Day 8 - God Delights In Us
Psalm 147:1 - 147:11
Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
6 The Lord sustains the humble
but casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
make music to our God on the harp.
8 He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.
10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.
The Bible tells us that God delights in us. He heals us, He provides for us and He delights in those who put their hope in Him.
To delight in something means to “incline to” or “take pleasure in.” This is an action and a choice. God does not need to incline His heart towards us, but He chooses to, because of His love for us and because we bring Him joy!
Do you see yourself as someone who God delights in? Or do you hold back from God thinking that you must be better or do more to be accepted by Him?
God is inviting us to draw near to Him and receive His delight.
How would your view of yourself and God change if you started every day in His presence, hearing what He says about you and receiving His delight? Try it today, and write down what you hear.
Day 7 - God's Love Never Fails
Psalm 139:7 (NIV)
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
Romans 8:38-39(NIV)
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God’s love is everywhere, and it will never fail.
There is no place we can go that removes us from God’s love. Even heaven and earth is not a barrier since He came from heaven to earth because of His love. We cannot earn His love nor lose it, but how we respond matters!
One way we can grow in not becoming complacent to God’s love is to consider how we respond to it each day. Gratitude should be part of our everyday faith. We should shout from the rooftops how thankful we are for His love. We should whisper in the valleys how thankful we are that He is with us.
Do you see the value in gratitude? That it connects you to the true source of love and opens your heart to receive all that God wants to pour in? Spend time reflecting on how grateful you are today, and make it a part of your everyday life.
Day 6 - God's Love In Action
John 3:16 (NIV)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God’s love for us is more than affection or emotion. It’s an action. And in this case – a powerful sacrificial action.
God gave His only Son to die for us. Jesus gave up His position in heaven to come to earth as a man and take both the spiritual weight of our sin and the earthly pain and humiliation of the cross.
Imagine the gratitude you would give if someone gave up their life for you in this world. Consider how you would express that gratitude to their family and how it would change your perspective on life.
Now consider God’s love for you as seen in His sacrifice. How does that shape your response to God today?
Day 5 - What is Love?
1 John 4:16-19 (NIV)
16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Sometimes, it is hard to truly grasp the love of God.
In our modern world, love has many definitions. However, many of these definitions do not describe love at all. The love of this world often focuses on things that make us feel good or get us what we want.
The truth is, we do not get to define what love is because the Bible tells us that God is love.
God is the only one who can define love. His love is unconditional and true. It is kind, humble, honouring and others-focused. It is patient, longsuffering, truthful and persevering.
And so, if we want to begin to understand God’s love for us, we have to look to Him to know what that love truly looks like.
What have you defined love to be? Do you have expectations of God based on the definitions you have made? Take some time to look through verses on love in the Bible and write out what love truly is from God’s perspective.
Day 4 - How Did He End Up There?
Romans 5:6-11(NIV)
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
If you think about it, the story of Jesus coming to and then dying on a cross for our sins is a wild one!
We miss its significance when we let familiarity dull its shock factor. This can easily happen when we've been believers for some time. It's vital to not let the importance of the cross be lost on us.
What led God to the scandal and pain of the cross? Why would he sacrifice Himself for us?
Passion. Because of His passion for us. Passion is a powerful motivator, an internal drive for our actions. To give up your life for someone shows an immense love for them. God is passionate about you!
How often do we stop to remember this? And do we truly believe it? Do we truly believe that God does not just have a love for people in general – but each of us individually – right where we are now?
God chose to send Jesus for you because He loves you with incredible passion. How would your world change if you lived from this revelation?
