Love: Do Everything In It – Day 40

Truth:

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion–how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 1 John 3:16-23 (New Living Translation)

Thought:

It’s really difficult to say more about love than John does in his first letter. The man was passionate about love. I’m convinced it was because the church in Ephesus that he was an elder of was told by God to return to their first love or else they would cease to exist.

I’m sure I wrote more about that somewhere and I’m sure it’s really good stuff, but I can’t find it in all this information that’s been produced over these 40 days. In some ways, it has been a long journey so it’s good to reflect on the final day and say with Qoheleth:

That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God
and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 (New Living Translation)

What is God’s command? – To love God and love others. Love is the fulfillment of the law. Love is the antidote to negativity.

We could have called this “40 Days of Love” but I’m glad I didn’t since Saddleback came up with its own campaign for that.

“Love God, love others” sounds so simple, and it is.  But if it were easy to love, why wouldn’t more people do it?

The answer to that question is also simple. It means death to ourselves when we put other people’s interests ahead of our own.  It means death to ourselves when we change our negative thinking patterns. It means death to ourselves when we speak words of life and stop speaking words of death. It means death to ourselves when we reflect the goodness of God to the side of the world that’s away from the Son.

And that’s the kind of sacrifice Jesus is looking for. He said in Luke 14:26-27:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Christ is worthy of a greater love than the earliest love, a greater love than the dearest love, and a greater love than the nearest love.

Will you give it to Him today and always?

Will you show your love for Him by the way you love others?

You’ve been doing it for 40 days. When you’ve messed up, you’ve confessed and God’s forgiven you.  You know how to do it and you know it can be done. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.

This is not the end of the journey. Stay on the path we’ve joined for this short time. If you need this encouragement for another 40 days, maybe daily emails will help. Go to LifeAbovetheNegativity.com anytime and sign up anytime to have these emails delivered to you daily.

So before we end this journey, I want to pray for you. I know I’ve prayed it over you often in my times with God. It’s Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians:

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious
Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that
you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the
saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Ephesians 1:17-19 (New International Version)

You are loved by God, so love loving others… He does.

Prayer:

Lord, I thank You for all You taught me and have shown me on this 40-day journey. Specifically I want to thank You for (Fill in the Blank). You are good and You are great. I thank You. I thank You for Your love. I thank You for Your mercy. I thank You for Your grace. I thank You that You empower me to love others in Your name.

Challenge:

Celebrate God today. Take some time to go over Isaiah 58 and reflect on the fast you’ve just completed. Focus on the promises in that text. Know that great things are in store. Remember the things He’s spoken to you or provided for you or shown you these past 40 days. Talk about them to others. Rejoice a great deal today.

Declaration:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!