Thursday Reading: 1 John 4:14-17
Key Verse: 1 John 4:17
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
Devotion:
Do you ever look at someone and long to be as lucky as they are because you think that they must be the luckiest people in the world because of the things that they have that you do not have? I’m sure that we have all been there and yes I do know that God has told us that we should not covet; but I’m not talking about getting all upset and uptight about being without something when you see that someone else has got something… There is nothing wrong with being happy for someone who has something even when you do not have it. There is nothing wrong with making it your goal to be able to attain something someday – but the feelings that we have have got to be kept in control otherwise they will quickly turn into us coveting things!
When these words were written down they were not meant to raise up feelings of resentment or any other bad feeling but rather to encourage others about what they could experience and what they have to look forward to. When we walk with God we know a peace that others would strive to have if they could see it in us – so why don’t we let others know about it?
It is through knowing Christ that we get to know about His love for us and His care for each one of us. It is through getting to know others that we can get to know how they feel about us too. We cannot ignore those situations because we live in this world and we are surrounded by people who think like we do – like human beings. We are certainly not perfect and we do lack finesse in many things in life – but we also have this great ability to love others. It is that ability to love others that we do need to exercise and not leave to die down in dormancy. Why should we allow that love to die down when Christ was so willing to show that love to everyone around us.
I am not talking about the lust that we know so well from all sides and all manner of people around us. Lust and love are different sides of the coin and must ever be confused. God continues to show us just how pure and natural love is, if we accept it!
Points to Ponder:
Do you love others?
How do you compare your love to Christ’s love for you?
