Devotions

From the very foundations of the earth, God foresaw a body of believers joined to his Son. Jesus testifies, “I was my Father’s daily delight, the joy of his being. And now all who turn to me in faith are his delight as well” (see these prophetic words of Christ in Proverbs 8:30-31).   

How do we show our love for Jesus? John answers: “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

And what are his commandments? Jesus says, in essence, there are two: “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40).

The first and most important commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind. We are to hold back nothing from him. And the second is that we love our neighbor as ourselves. These two simple commands sum up all of God’s law.

Jesus is actually saying here that we cannot walk in God’s glory if we bear a grudge against anyone. Therefore, loving God means loving every brother and sister in the same way we have been loved by the Father.

“If anyone says, ‘I love God’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (1 John 4:20-21). “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (verse 8).

We can praise God with upraised arms, pray to him every day, and spend hours studying his Word, but if we are bitter and unforgiving toward anyone, it is all in vain.

If you are in such a state, tell God you are sorry. But take an added step and be reconciled with that person so you can enjoy true intimacy with the Father. 

Our earthly affections fluctuate, sometimes daily, going from hot and zealous to lukewarm or even cold as our emotions change. Like the disciples, we can be ready to die for Jesus one day and then be ready to forsake him and run the next. We can tell the Lord we trust him to supply all our needs and yet entertain doubt and fear when our circumstances change.

God’s love for us remains unchanged. His Word says, “I am the Lord, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). And in James 1:17: “Every perfect gift . . . comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

When we are in true communion with the Father, we not only receive his love but we love him back. This is mutual affection: both giving and receiving love. The Bible tells us, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). He also tells us, “My son, give me your heart” (Proverbs 23:26). His own perfect love demands that we reciprocate, returning to him a love that is total, undivided.

The Lord tells us in no uncertain terms: “You can’t earn my love. The love I give to you is unmerited.” John writes, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). “We love Him because He first loved us” (verse 19).

God reached down into the wilderness of our lives, showed us our lostness, and made us miserable in our sin. He sent us his Word to show us truth, sent his Spirit to convict us, and then came after us himself. Because of this, when we accept him into our lives and stay in communion with him, we can walk in security and stability, never wavering. 

Many Christians talk about intimacy with the Lord, about walking with him, knowing him, having fellowship with him. But we cannot have true communion with God unless we receive into our hearts the full revelation of his love, grace and mercy.

Communion with God consists of two things: receiving the love of the Father and loving him in return. Being secure in his love is the first step. You can spend hours each day in prayer telling the Lord how much you love him, but if you have not received his love, you have not had communion with him.

The psalmist encourages us: “Enter into [God’s] gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4). He goes on to show us the kind of God we are to come to: “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (verse 5).

Too many have the impression of God as a demanding figure with an angry countenance just waiting for us to fail so he can say, “I caught you!” But our heavenly Father has revealed himself as kind, tenderhearted, full of grace and mercy, anxious to lift all our cares and burdens.

The prophet Zephaniah writes about God’s incredible love to us: “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing” (3:17).

You can come into his courts with praise and thanksgiving because you are so thankful for who God is. In spite of all your weaknesses and failures, your heavenly Father cares about everything you are going through.

Do not live in fear and despair, with little or no hope. Ask the Lord to help you grasp the truth of his love for you and lay hold of that love by faith. 

Only one thing can keep us going in the coming hard times and that is an understanding of God’s glory. By grasping it, we unlock the door to an overcoming life!

The glory of God is a revelation of our Lord’s nature and being. In the Old Testament, Moses had a literal glimpse of God’s glory. “The Lord passed before [Moses] and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin’” (Exodus 34:6-7).

This passage of scripture is essential to our understanding of who our Lord is. Often when we think about the glory of God, we think of his majesty and splendor, his power and dominion, or some manifestation in his people, such as exuberant worship. Such things can be a result of seeing God’s glory but this is not the glory by which he wants us to know him. He wants us to know his glory through the revelation of his great love toward humankind. And that is just what he revealed to Moses.

The revelation of God’s glory powerfully affects those who receive it and pray for an understanding of it. Up to this point, Moses had viewed the Lord as a God of law and wrath and he trembled in the Lord’s presence. But this new sight of God’s glory moved Moses to worship without fear. He saw that God was love and his nature was one of kindness and tender mercy!

Attending how-to seminars, hearing famous speakers, or absorbing self-improvement books and messages is fine but the only lasting change comes from having a first-hand revelation of God’s glory. Seeing his glory changes the way we live! It affects our countenance and behavior and makes us more like him. How wonderful to know that God has already given that revelation of himself in Exodus 34 and it is for us!   

When the Lord came to earth to dwell among us, he had a very specific purpose, one that was formed prior to the foundations of the world. He came with the mission to teach us of the Father, to do mighty works, to rescue us from sin, and to free us from all bondage.

That kind of Savior would naturally draw the attention of this world’s ruling powers but despite all the deadly obstacles thrown at him by man and Satan, Jesus was able to accomplish his purpose.

We live in a world not unlike the one Jesus entered two millennia ago. According to most news sources today, many in America are disturbed by the idea of a Savior like Jesus. In recent years, school administrators, the national media and even government officials have reacted strongly — and negatively — to the public mention of Christ’s name. This should not surprise us, as Jesus foretold that as the day of his return draws near, “the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).

Not long ago a national Christian children’s hospital submitted a commercial to a TV sports network that refused to air the ad unless the word “Jesus” was removed from it. Also, the patriarch of the family featured on the popular TV show Duck Dynasty stated that the Bible does not condone homosexuality and he was called a bigot, a homophobe and a hate-monger. Obviously, these are minor persecutions compared to those suffered by Christians in nations where Christianity is outlawed. In my visits to over sixty nations, I have seen the daily hardships that believers overseas endure. Yet I can assure you that very soon things will become worse for the church in America. Persecution will grow worse because the gospel continues to frustrate those who walk in darkness.

May our hearts be ruled by the love of Jesus Christ so that we can witness to his love and see his purposes accomplished amidst this corrupt generation.