“Jesus’ love is the best gift.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – September 24, 2024
We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19
The late Charles Spurgeon said, “The Christian is in the world but should not be of the world. He should be distinct from the world in terms of his life’s goal. To him, ‘live is Christ’” (Philippians 1:21).
Living for Christ and laying down our lives is not an easy call. Putting Christ first, when it means that we are inconvenienced or even harmed is a high call.
But there is something beyond beautiful that makes the burden lighter: love.
Because Jesus loves us first and when we receive His love, we want to love Him in return and the living for Jesus is motivated by a deep affection that nothing in the world can rival. The things of this life lose their allure when we experience His love.
Rather than being motivated by what I can do in my own power (which leads to exhaustion and legalism), His love compels, moves, and invigorates me to serve and follow Him. And, because I have experienced His love, I want others to experience it too.
Pure devotion to Christ, void of performance-based guilt or obligation, can truly only happen when you experience the Savior’s love. We love because He first loved us. Jesus’ love is the best gift we can experience in this life.
This makes me think about the disciples. The Gospel took an unstoppable hold in the world because there was a band of 12 brothers who witnessed the miracles of Christ, experienced His love, heard His prophecies about His coming crucifixion, witnessed His death, heard about Him being raised, and then spent time with Him over 40 days before He was taken to heaven! His love and the sacrifice He made compelled them to follow Him, suffer horribly for Him, and die for Him and the spread of the gospel! Because they had walked with Him, experienced Him, and personally knew Him, they were willing to lay down their lives for Him. No one was going to convince them that He wasn’t the Son of God! Only deep affection and conviction could motivate such devotion!
With this in mind, how can we experience Jesus’ love that motivates to live for Him?
How can you surrender to Jesus so that you can do what Philippians 1:21 says, “To live is Christ”?
Begin by asking Jesus to make you more aware of His love for you. Ask Him to fill you with His kindness, gentleness, and compassion. Ask Him to reveal the depth of what He has done for you. Ask Him to reveal who He is to you.
Humble yourself. Ask Him to reveal any place in your heart where you need to be changed. Confess sin, which will bind your heart to His.
Make a decision to follow Jesus and to live for Him and lay down anything that is holding you back from knowing how precious you are to Him.
Stay close to Him each day. Talk with Him throughout the hours. Listen for His voice. Walk with Him. Experience Him. In your life journey, He will reveal Himself as faithful and as you stay humble, His love in you will grow.
“And anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:38-39).
Prayer
Jesus, reveal your love to me. Show me how much I am loved, then motivate me to love you and others in return. Amen!
Application
Talk to Jesus all day long today.
Related Reading
John 3:16, 1 John 4:16, 1 John 3:1
Worship Resource
Austin Stone Worship: How Deep the Father’s Love for Us
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