And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2 NKJV

https://bible.com/bible/114/rom.12.2.NKJV

Verse of the day

Tuesday, 12 September 2023.

We love Him because He first loved us.

1 John 4:19

Insights

Our natural heart lacks the ability to love God or other people. Only those who have experienced the love of God can love God truly with all their heart.

This love for God is summarized under the following terms:

1. If you love God, you will do all that He says.

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:15

2. If you love God you will love the things He loves and the things He hates.

3. If you love God, you will love your fellow believers.

If someone 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

4. If you love God, you will love the people He made, including those who are your enemies.

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.

Matthew 5:44

Before we came to Christ through the unmerited love of God, we were incapable of fulfilling any of these terms. All we love is ourselves and all that brings satisfaction to ourselves.

God had to show us what true love is because we don't know it. In John 3:16, God showed all human race the depth of His love by giving His only Son as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity against Him.

You should understand that God's greatest proof of love to us was His sacrifice. It was not a mere lip service but an act of love beyond the human mind.

In Romans 5:8, we understood our positions as sinful and rebellious people deserving of eternal condemnation and punishment, but God demonstrated His love towards us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

What this meant was that while we were actively in our state of sinfulness and were His enemies, God graciously demonstrated His love by sending Christ to save us.

That was the depth of love God revealed to us. Although, a man may venture to die for someone he claims to love, not His enemy. But God being a loving God, died for us His enemies.

Your Response To God's Love

1. You are responsible for loving God by obeying His commandments. Simply put, doing what He tells you to do.

2. You are to love God by loving your fellow believers and give no room for any form of hatred.

3. You are to love God by loving your enemies and those whom you consider unlovable.

It is the love of God that will gear your heart to reach out and pray for the lost and unsaved people around and beyond you.

Do you love Him? Do you thank Him for His unmerited love towards you?

Action

Reflect on these questions and ask God for more grace to love Him as He has loved you.

He First Loved Us

We love Him because He first loved us.

I John 4:19 NKJV

https://bible.com/bible/114/1jn.4.19.NKJV

VERSE OF THE DAY (MONDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2023

FOCUS: FEAR NOT

For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’

Isaiah 41:13 NKJV

God is holding a dua position in your life. He is first your Lord (I.e. Your Master or Leader), and then your God (Your Father). In the first case, He will be your shepherd so you have nothing to worry about. What this meant is that you are His responsibility and He is obligated to take care of you. At times, He may use His rod and staff to correct you. This you must take in good faith because, in the end, it will bring comfort to your soul (Psalms 23).

As your Father, He will take care of you and not permit your feet to stumble. He is the God of your right hand (Psalms 121). 

In both cases, you owe Him certain responsibilities (Malachi 1:6)

As a master, you must have reverential fear for Him. Not the fear of a tyrant but one born out of love for Him who loved you dearly to die for all your sins. 

As a Father, you must honor Him. This is because He deserves all honor, glory, adoration, and thanks.  

What will He do in response? 

He will hold your right hand saying, Don't be afraid, I will help you. This is thrilling to the heart. That the God, and Creator of the whole universe is on your side to aid and assist you every step all the way to glory is quite remarkable and refreshing. 

How amazing this is to the praise of His name. Therefore,  you must rest and be quiet in your heart knowing that He will work all things together for your good. 

Amen!

Yesterday, we noted how the impact of the failure of Adam is still a big deal even today. Many are still plagued by the consequence of sin that originated from him. The Bible recorded that through one man (Adam), not one woman, sin came into the world and death by sin (Romans 5:12). This is because God gave the position of Authority to the man, and not the woman.

In the divine order, the Bible explains clearly that God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of Man, and then Man is the head of the woman (1 Corinthians 11:3). By default, God expects man to take responsibility for the family, just as Christ took responsibility for the sin of humanity.

The troubles in society today can be directly linked to failure in modern family life. With fathers absconding and leaving their families behind, many untrained or rather unfathered have become the menace of society.

The devil knows what many people don’t know today, and that’s why he kept on attacking the family. That’s why he creating institutions that will devalue the true essence of marriage and family. That’s why we have the mess we have today.

There are two major gates to the human soul, the eye gate and the ear gate. Of the two entry points the eye gate is the most dangerous. This is because the human brain can retain what is seen more than what is heard.

The dangerous thing about these gateways is that they are never satisfied.

Ecclesiastes 1:8 says that, All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing.

Give no space to the devil. The believer must understand that there is constant warfare going on to wreck his testimony. That is why God’s people must rise to fight. Thank God we because the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God. Because of this, we know that we will win in the end (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

When God made every living creature, the Bible recorded that everything God made was very good. Do you know that when God made the serpent, it was a very good creature, but later become a tool in the hand of the devil? How then can that which is good become evil? Because the enemy of your soul is watching and looking for a means to destroy you.

How do you know God? So many Christians ask this question, therefore,  we must take our guidance from His word. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29 that we must learn of Him. We also know that Jesus is the author and the finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

To know God you must come through Jesus. The Bible says in John 14:6 that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and there is no other way apart from Him. Simply put, you must be born again (John 3:3,7). This will mark the beginning of your relationship with Him.