Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [159]

 

Todays devotion is written by Mike Loveridge

The song for this week is ‘Praise the Lord (Evermore)’ by Worship Central. You can listen to the song here. Like previous weeks, I suggest you listen to the song, dwell on the words and then read through my brief comments. I hope this song blesses you as it has me.

 

On the cross
Of Calvary
Your heart was torn
To bring us peace
You gave it all
Jesus

 

The mystery of Majesty
Broken for our liberty
You gave it all
Jesus

 

Praise the Lord
O my soul
I will sing of Your great love
Forever

 

The star that shone
The brightest died
When earth fell dark
The heavens cried

Behold our King
Jesus

O Behold our King
Jesus

 

Praise the Lord
O my soul
I will sing of Your great love
Forever

We crown You King
Of Majesty
Our hope, our everything
You hold the victory
Forevermore

Reflections

 

As a parent I have come to understand the importance of a child knowing they are loved. It gives them security, assurance, peace and even means when you tell them off they respond well (sometimes anyway). God offers all those who believe a new identity as a child of God. As a child of God, you get to experience the greatest love ever known and that’s what I want to focus on today in this devotion. The song has the line ‘I will sing of your great love forever’. So what is God’s love like? Amongst other things it is sacrificial, powerful and unconditional.

 

 

Sacrificial

As you read the Bible you soon notice that a dominant aspect of God’s character on display is his love, in particular his love for his people. It’s displayed in his care, provision, leading and guiding of his people through the Old Testament narrative. But the greatest element of God’s love is that his love is sacrificial. The greatest act of love ever was Jesus laying down his life for our sake so that we may be forgiven and redeemed. 1 John 3 says, ‘This is how we know what love is; Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.’ And then a chapter later John continues, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10). The very definition of love then is the cross. God loved us so much that he sent his one and only Son into this world to walk our walk and then to die our death so that we may be free. True love at its very core is sacrificial. Do you love sacrificially?

 

Powerful

There is no greater power than the love of God for His people. His love is a love that can move mountains, heal broken lives, transform hearts, and set free the captives of sin and shame. God’s love is awesome! Romans 8:37-39 says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The love of God changes us from lost to found, from hopeless to hopeful. It has the power to change our destiny. Once you understand the love of God personally you become a conqueror since Christ won the victory through his death and through faith in him you are united with him. 

 

Unconditional

Through Jesus’ death on the cross a way back into the presence of God has been made for all who believe. Jesus’ death and resurrection has won new life for us and that new life is a gift from God. It’s a gift he gives to you because he loves you. Why does he love you? Simply because he does. That’s the amazing thing about God’s love. You don’t have to earn it. How different that is to everything else in life that we have to strive and work for. God doesn’t say, ‘You are messed up here,’ or ‘You are doing that wrong,’ or ‘Sort this out and then come back to me.’ No, he says ‘I love you, come to me and I, through my power, will transform you and give you the strength to change.’ I am always astounded by the story of the prodigal son when you read that the father ran out to meet the son. The father is an image of God. God runs out to meet us in our mess. He doesn’t ask us to clean ourselves up first. God longs to love us right where we are, and he wants us to experience his love for us. 

 

Prayer for today

 

Heavenly Father,

 

We thank you for your great love. A love that moved you to send your one and only Son into this world to die in our place. You did it whilst we were still sinners. Thank you that because of your love we can have hope and joy for the future because our future is safe in your hands. 

 

We ask today that you will use us to be salt and light to the world around us and to show the sacrificial, powerful and unconditional love to those who don’t yet know you. 

 

In Jesus’ name we pray,

 

Amen

Photo by Neal E. Johnson on Unsplash