“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”           (1 Corinthians 13:13)

The apostle Paul conveys the importance of love in his letter to the Christians living in Corinth. He wrote:

 “…if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing…Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth…Love never fails…And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13: 2-13).

Often, human nature bases love on emotions and feelings. How we ‘feel’ determines how we treat others. This kind of love is not real. It is here today and gone tomorrow, like the passing of the seasons. However, God’s love flowing through us is steadfast love fueled with compassionate acts towards others, regardless of circumstance.

Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34) Clearly, love must be a prime focus in our daily living along with faith and hope in Jesus. Jesus promised, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” (John 14:15-16)

Jesus knew that on our own it would be impossible for us to love as God commands in His word. Fortunately, upon salvation we receive the Holy Spirit to help us mature and grow in agape love. Love is so important in God’s kingdom here on earth and in heaven it’s no wonder it is listed as the first fruit of the Holy Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,…” (Galatians 5:22).

It is imperative that we work diligently with God’s indwelling Spirit to develop and grow in this vital fruit so we can love others, as He commands us to.

The apostle John wrote, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 7-9)

The only way we develop and fully begin to comprehend and know God’s love is by studying and obeying His word and by accepting His unconditional love. Once God’s love begins to manifest itself within our hearts then it becomes a commodity streaming out of us and into the lives of others.

Father, Teach me the depths of your love for me that I might reflect that same love to others.  Amen.

Question: Do you realize how much God loves you? How has your “love walk” been lately?

Put today’s devotional into action right away with “19 Ways to Encourage Others”

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

Be intentional today to stand as one loved by God, with purpose and dignity. Reach out in kindness to someone today and feel His love flow to you and through you. God’s love, given generously through you, has a way of coming full circle back to you.

You have much to give! Stand tall! His grace will shelter you and protect you. His grace will fulfill you. His grace will enable you to step forward and not shrink back. His grace will enable you to give CARE even when you desperately want to receive care yourself. His grace is given to you in order to be given away. Let His grace flow to you and through you as you care in the ways He has made you to uniquely show His love. It will fill you up in an unexpected way.

Four ways to show C A R E today:

C – Compassion = concern, kindness, consideration.

As you go through your day today ask God to show you where and how you can show kindness, consideration and concern in a meaningful and simple way to someone on your pathway. When you feel the nudge, take the time to respond. Show consideration.

A – Appreciate

Show appreciation in an intentional and specific way to someone whom the Lord highlights on your radar screen today. Be genuinely appreciative. Say “thanks”.

R – Reach Out

Don’t wait for others to take the first step to greet, speak, say or do something. Be ready to reach out in the moment you become aware of the choice. Go first.

E – Encourage

It costs nothing to say a sincere and encouraging word. Be aware today that you have the power of life and death in your tongue. Bite your tongue when careless words want to spill out. Ask God to fill your mind and heart with His goodness toward others. Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Use your words to build.

Prayer to help action CARE in your life:

Father God,

Today my heart yearns for love. To answer that yearning, please help me to extend CARE to those in my circle. Let me feel Your lavish love toward me today and help me to pass it out. May consideration, appreciation and encouragement mark my attitudes, words and actions today as I reach out with Your love. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Question: How are you going to show compassion, appreciation, reach out, and encourage someone today?

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in [a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:18-19)

It was five am. Twenty young men gathered in the dark of the morning in running shorts and shoes dreading the next twelve minutes of their lives.  The instructions were pretty clear: “You’ve got twelve minutes to run two miles. Go.”

We were athletes, but not professionals, and certainly not runners. It was awful, but we knew that if we all made the time, we would never have to do this again. Twelve minutes later, lungs searing, legs weakening, some of us were still running. To our chagrin, we returned the next morning, and the next, and the next.  We kept at it until every man made the designated time.

Each morning we cheered our slower comrades on until someone got a bright idea: “Get behind them!” Everyone started to clue in. If we all took a few hundred yards and pushed our teammates, even slightly, we could help them remarkably! It was a revolutionary realization.

If we truly want to help someone, it’s best to come alongside him. Encouragement works the same way. Cheering from the sidelines can help somewhat, but physically being there is immeasurably better.

This is not a new idea. It’s ancient! In fact, the original meaning of the word “encouragement” refers to someone who is urging you on, while being close to you. It’s both vocal and proximal – it’s spoken and present. It’s a plea to continue on strong and a hand to help you do it.

Don’t just cheer from the sidelines. Get your hands dirty too. The Holy Spirit, our Comforter, is present with us because we need Him. His presence is life giving. If God has drawn near to us through His Spirit, isn’t it natural that we should be there for others too?

Pray: “Father God, thank You for Your Holy Spirit who is the Comforter. Spirit of God, dwell in me. Give me a love for others that naturally seeks to encourage them. Give me the humility and the confidence to draw near to my neighbor and physically help him in his time of need. Amen.”

Question: How have you been encouraged in the past?

Much of the world around us today interprets Christianity with insanity. This is especially true in academic communities. The truth is that as Christians, we are not touched in the head, but in the heart.

When a person gives their heart to Jesus, people should notice a difference on the outside just as we have experienced a difference on the inside. I cannot come to Jesus and not change, because it will alter my lifestyle. I am not ready to live until I am ready to die and I am not ready to die until I know Jesus. One goes from hurting to helping people.

When one gets saved, they become a called person to serve the world and a committed person, committed to the story of the life and death of Jesus. Once saved people should not try to limit the power of Jesus, though the world will tell them to do so. We need to quit playing it safe and step out for Jesus without shame or reservation and when we do that, people will notice.

But sadly, people say no to Jesus because they want to keep enjoying their sin or they don’t want scorn from others. They don’t want to sacrifice or perhaps they are satisfied with their own sufficiency or perhaps they think that accepting Jesus will deny them all the things they think bring happiness into their lives.

Lasting and true happiness can be developed only through obedience to God’s Word, by accepting Jesus’ Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour.

Once you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and you have an intimate relationship with Him, you will enjoy true happiness. Religion does not produce true happiness; but relationship with the Savior does. Only the principles and absolutes from the bible will bring us lasting happiness, joy and satisfaction.

You can rest your hope in Christ, and find your assurance in Jesus because of who He is, and what He has done. It is on this foundation that a happy life will flow continually, even through the most difficult trials in life and when you experience this transformation in your soul on the inside, people are bound to notice a difference on the outside as you become a new creation both inwardly and outwardly.

Question: Are you living out your faith in such a way that people are noticing a difference?

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44)

Have you ever really wanted something? Craved it? Longed for it so intensely that you willingly gave your time, your money, your energy, your comfort – everything – in order to possess what you wanted? No hurdle too high, no sacrifice too great, nothing else could compare to the object of your desire.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)

Jesus used stories like these to explain the value of the kingdom of heaven. Like the perfect pearl to a collector or hidden treasure to an adventurer, nothing is worth more than God’s kingdom.

Beyond urging us to pursue the kingdom with our entire being, Jesus taught that its great worth should be shared. When you study God’s word and learn about His kingdom you hold a priceless treasure to be displayed to everyone you know.

“[Jesus] said to them, ‘Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.’” (Matthew 13:52)

Seek after the kingdom of heaven with all your heart and strength. Then share its incredible treasure with those around you. Tell them how living in God’s kingdom has changed you. Show them the precious words of Jesus. Display the jewels of hope and forgiveness you’ve discovered.

God in heaven, I want to hunger and thirst for Your kingdom. I want to spend all I am and have in order to gain You. Amen.

Questions: Why is God’s kingdom like a treasure? Is anything keeping you from pursuing Jesus with all you’ve got?

“For, ‘In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.’ …‘But my righteous one will live by faith.  And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.’  But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.” (Hebrews 10: 37-39)

We met in Starbucks. She was just passing through town and it was a treat to get together in person. As usual, we jumped in at the deep end and wanted to share what God was teaching us these days. As she raised requests I suggested we pray. Quietly, with open eyes, I asked God to meet the needs of her life.

We talked more and then she said she wanted to pray for me. With not so quiet a voice and with eyes pressed closed and hands grasping mine across the table she lifted her heart to our Heavenly Father. And I felt my heart shrink back. Could she pray a little quieter or a little less intensely? I am ashamed to say I felt a twinge of embarrassment enter my heart.

Very shortly after that God put a book in my pathway that challenged just this very thing in my life. In essence I was denying Christ. I thought of Peter and how easy it was for him to deny Jesus on that night of Jesus’ death. Then in my own devotions I read these words,

“For, ‘In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.’…‘But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.’ But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.” (Hebrews 10: 37-39)

It took me by surprise that I could find myself in that same position as Peter found himself in…only I was in Starbucks where there was no threat at all to my faith or my life. How good God is to reveal the very nature of our hearts to us when we feel we are being “faithful” followers. What a challenge it is to grow in our boldness in following our Lord and Savior.

Today, whether you are a quiet Christian, a bold witness, or somewhere in between why not join me in asking God to fill you with a greater boldness and more courage to stand in persevering faith?  One never knows when in this world we will be called upon to stand firm. We need to be determined not to shrink back. God will help us as we ask Him to.

Heavenly Father,

Forgive me for shrinking back when You call me to boldness. May my heart be ever more courageous to stand for You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Question: How can you express greater boldness and more courage as you walk your Christian life?

“Do not act like the sinful people of the world. Let God change your life. First of all, let Him give you a new mind. Then you will know what God wants you to do. And the things you do will be good and pleasing and perfect.”  (Romans 12:2, NLT)

Your words have potential and kinetic energy. Luke 6:45 says that a heart that’s full of love will speak love. This is an inside-to-outside process where the condition of one’s spirit gets reflected corporeally (in this case, audibly). But we also read of another process in Romans 12:2, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Here we have an outside-to-inside process. The outer expression, controllable by a manipulation of the will, can change who we are as individuals.

If you express thankfulness, your heart of gratitude will increase.
If you express love, your heart of compassion will increase.
If you express praise, your heart of worship will increase.

Create reality? It sounds strange, but I’ve known it to be true in my own life. We can change our reality with the words we speak. We have the ability to create by speaking if we harness the potential energy of our words.

We are created in God’s image (Gen. 1:27) and as we know, He created the universe by speaking. God spoke, and there was existence. So it shouldn’t surprise us that we can do the same. As men, many of us don’t do much talking. But let me encourage you: create a Kingdom of Heaven reality by speaking life-giving words. It doesn’t have to be a lot. What reality will you create with your words today?

Choose to speak of the good things in your day. You’ll have a better day.
Choose to praise the good qualities in your wife. You will have a better marriage.
Choose to focus on God’s goodness amidst the pain and praise Him. You’ll find a rich, full, and miraculous life waiting for you to step into.

Pray: God help me to use my words wisely.  Amen.

Question: How have you been affected by someone’s words?

This is the time of year for planning and resolutions, though many will be broken by now. But, it is also a time for an overall trimming of the sails of life and aiming in the direction of the desired port. Where are you going? How do you plan to get there? What do you expect when you arrive?

A number of ancient cities are known for their character. Babylon stands for evil and is described in Revelation 17. The angel took John into the desert and introduced him to an earthly Babylon in the form of a reigning prostitute. Later the angel takes him to the eventual heavenly Jerusalem.

Sometimes when I read or watch the news I am convinced that we are living in a state of Babylon. It seems all we hear in terrorism, domestic abuse, corporate greed and the list goes on. Babylon represents the godless world system, obsessed by political power, religious seduction and self-centered affluence.

Each of us every day is pressured through the media and elsewhere to join in dancing the “Babylon shuffle.” The pressure is great in contemporary society. The prostitute is the perfect symbol of the godless system lurking all around us.

Love is reduced to a price tag. The joining of body parts is not the joining of lives, yet her attraction and allure are undeniable, for her trade is not sexual but rather commercial and even spiritual.

John moves beyond Babylon in Revelation 21: Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

It doesn’t get any better than that. So as we focus on our resolutions and living out this year, let us focus on and aim to Jerusalem. Let’s not be seduced by the clamoring and twittering of Babylon.

Question: The choice is yours. To which will you point your actions and focus throughout the coming year…… Jerusalem or Babylon?

How can we pray for you today?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Not long ago I spent a lovely weekend in the magnificent beauty of the Alaskan mountains. I was privileged to be the guest speaker of a women’s retreat there. Precious women extracted themselves from their busy lives from Friday evening to Sunday noon. They took time they didn’t really have to come away…to let their hearts drink in rest and refreshment.

Life noisily demands our attention. It clamors, persistently moving us in many directions. It’s easy to forget that Jesus Himself has invited us to come and find rest for our souls.

Are you expecting His rest to refresh you today? Are you expecting to encounter His strength holding you today? Are you expecting His peace to sustain your heart even in what can sometimes be chaotic days? Are you expecting Him to meet your heart even as you read these words?

Let this invitation, to you from Jesus, steep into your soul like a pot of tea steeps to full flavor. You can expect God to deposit something into your heart even in this moment. Now read it again this way.

“Come unto me today, _____________ (Put in your name), with all the things that weary your body and burden your mind and heart and I will give you rest … for your soul.”

Today you can have the confident expectation that God will hold you as you COME to Him. You are invited. Come and receive:

1. C – CAST your concerns on Him: 

1 Peter 5:7  “Casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.”

Lord God, today I bring you the questions on my heart about ______, I bring you my disappointment in _________ and I look, with expectation to You to help me because You care. Thank you!

2. O- OPEN your heart:

Philippians 4:6-7 “Don’t worry about anything but pray about everything. Tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers.”

Lord God, Today I need  __________. I ask You for it. I trust in Your strength to hold me and I thank You that You will guide me and direct my path. I wait in expectation.

3. M-MAKE requests:

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Lord God, Your grace is enough for all I am dealing with today. You have promised that even in my weakness Your strength is made perfect. Today I feel weak in ___________. I trust You to strengthen me. 

4. E-EXPECT: 

Romans 15:13 “May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Lord God, I receive Your joy and peace in my heart right now as I fully trust You to be the Manager of my day today. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Question: How do you COME to Jesus today?

Do you crave destiny?

“Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, ‘Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.’” (Matthew 8:10, NASB)

Many have entreated mankind to “Know Thyself.” These words are quoted from the ancients: Chilon, Thales, Juvenal, Socrates, Plato and more recently Hobbes, Pope, Linnaeus, Franklin, Emerson, Coleridge and others. Many of these men would point to human capability as the goal of knowledge; Jesus would disagree. Knowing thyself is not completely sufficient.

The ultimate value in knowing yourself lies in knowing your limits. In response to your own limitations you can turn to Christ, the all-sufficient Lord who is able to meet those needs.  Matthew chapter eight tells the story of a Roman centurion who believed that Jesus could heal his servant with only a word. The centurion was a powerful man and yet Jesus said he had the greatest faith: greater than any in Israel! Can you imagine how that must have sounded? A gentile, a Roman official, the enemy of the Jews and an unbeliever and he had the greatest faith? How could it be?

He believed. The centurion knew his power as well as his limitations and trusted in the Most High for sustenance and healing. He was a powerful Roman coming to beg at the feet of the Jewish carpenter. It came at the cost of his dignity but the reward of great faith.

Know thyself? It’s still great advice. But know thyself so thoroughly that the walls of your humanity loom tall before you and your faith causes you to fall at the feet of Jesus.

Father God,

You are mighty: high and lifted up. I honour Your name and adore You as the sovereign LORD. Thank You for designing me in Your image. I recognize my failure to be holy like You. My shortcomings are all too clear. I kneel at Your feet and ask You to do for me today what I cannot do for myself. Heal me. By your Spirit, create in me a pure heart O God. Restore me. Make me more like You.

In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Question: In what ways do your own limitations draw you closer to God?