Tag: Love

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Abba Father

Daily Reading

Romans 8-10

Daily Thought

I love when one of my children calls me “Daddy.” My boys started calling me “Dave.” They thought it was cute. All my kids call me “Dave” when I do something ridiculous, “Way to go, Dave.” I guess I deserve that. But “Daddy,” when I hear that word, I turn and smile and the one who said it has my undivided attention. 

“You have received the Spirit of adoption as children, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15). “Abba” is like calling God “Daddy.” My grandkids call me “Bapa.” Same thing. It is a special relationship, intimate, close.

The night before Jesus would go to the cross, he is in a garden in Jerusalem called Gethsemane, praying to his heavenly Father. We get to listen. “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36). You can hear the intimacy. This isn’t “our Father who art in heaven,” this is “Daddy” and a deep sigh, and Jesus is ready to do whatever his Father says.

We can pray to God like that, too. We share the same intimacy as Jesus–“we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16-17)–like children with their daddy, that special, personal, unique relationship. That kind of relationship where you can run up to God and lift your arms up and get wrapped up in his. You are never interrupting, because nothing else is as important to your daddy. 

I never start prayer with, “Hey God, you got a minute.” Children don’t ask that. My children never considered my time because they know I always have time for them. 

That’s God. We talk to our Father with confidence because we know when we pray, he swipes all the paperwork to the side, turns his chair toward us, lifts us up on his lap, and he listens. And I am ready to do whatever he says.

Daily Prayer

Abba Father, You left Your throne and looked for me and found me and saved me and brought me into your family. I am Your child. I wasn’t even looking for You. You came to seek and to save the lost and that was me. Your love is amazing. 

I love this intimacy, that I can climb on Your lap and You are mine and I am Yours. You love me and I love You back and trust You and I am ready to do whatever You say.

Amen

Daily Question

What do you call your father and what does that indicate about your relationship with him?

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A New Commandment

Daily Reading

John 13-15

Daily Thought

The end was near, and by the end, I mean when Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), and died for the sins of the world. Preparing his disciples for the events that would soon follow, “that he had come from God and was going back to God” (John 13:3), Jesus grabbed a towel and began washing his disciples’ feet. Peter, believing it undignified of Jesus to play the servant (because he would think himself undignified if he had done the same), told Jesus to stop, but Jesus corrected him: “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me” (John 13:8). That is to say, if you are to be like me, Peter, you shall allow me to serve you and “you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:15).

Jesus explained he would soon leave them, and “where I am going you cannot come” (John 13:33). Last words are important words, and none more important than what followed, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). 

Peter missed the last words completely and returned to the first, “Lord, where are you going?” (John 13:36). Sometimes, I think Jesus chose Peter as a disciple because he would ask the questions all of us are thinking. How often we concern ourselves with where Jesus went or when he is coming back, neglecting the very thing he told us to do in his absence, to love one another. 

When I was a teenager, I remember the church sanctuary packed on Wednesday evening for a conference on “End Times,” then, the next night, a dozen would show up to feed the hungry at the mission. I’m not throwing stones, I was there Wednesday, not Thursday. We argue at the edges and miss the center, “love one another,” then wonder at the world’s difficulty in recognizing his disciples. 

Daily Prayer

God, Almighty, Powerful, Wonderful, and Wise, You are worthy of all praise. The whole world sings of Your glory. And you got down on your knees and washed my feet. And you got up on a cross and died in my place. Serving and sacrifice.

May I have that same attitude, one of humility and service. One of sacrifice and dying to myself. One of love. May the world know that You are God, my God, because I show them the same love You have shown me.

Amen

Daily Question

How good are Christians at loving one another? How can we improve?

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Nick at Night

Daily Reading

John 3-4

Daily Thought

John, the writer of this gospel, makes much of darkness and light, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). All people love. What matters is what you love, for in this you determine who you are. Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night” because he was part of the darkness, “a man of the Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews (John 2:1). Here stood Nicodemus at night, and from the darkness, he approached the light. 

Nicodemus began with a mixture of flattery and curiosity, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2). Before he asked his question, Jesus cut him off and answered, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Still dark, and Nicodemus said so, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4). Jesus continued, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). That did not help. Nicodemus still could not see. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14). That made no sense whatsoever to Nicodemus, but he kept listening. Dawn was approaching and he kept listening. 

Then Jesus said it, that most famous of all Bible verses, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And the light began to shine.

We meet Nicodemus again, twice. Once when the Pharisees gathered to condemn Jesus. Nicodemus argued, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” (John 7:51). Like he had done. And finally, at the cross, when “Nicodemus, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight,” to bury his Savior and King. He did not know yet a resurrected Jesus, but it was daytime now, and Nicodemus walked in the light.

Daily Prayer

God, there is so much evidence of You. Everywhere I look screams of Your wonder and majesty. How can I doubt? How can I walk away? How can I chase other gods? You are the Creator, the Everlasting God. In You I am done searching. You are my God.

Thank You for turning on the light. I can see again. I now know why I am here and what is ahead for me. I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God. What fear I in this world when I know the King and the King knows me?

Amen

Daily Question

How did God turn on the light in your life?

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Zero

Daily Reading

Job 1-4

Daily Thought

Zero is quite powerful. When you add zero, nothing much happens. But try multiplying! Go ahead. Multiply anything by 0, and what do you get? Zero. Zero dominates! 12 x 0 = 0; 20 x 0 = 0; 8 billion (the number of people on planet earth) x 0 = 0. We spend our entire lives adding and subtracting, but at the end, everything we have gets multiplied by zero. Zero is the death of everything. Zero is death. Does that seem disheartening? Think again. 

Look in your closet, your attic, your garage, your hope chest, your cupboards. Nothing we accumulate adds value to who we are, nor does losing anything or everything take it away. It is incredibly powerful to realize that our worth comes from nothing more and nothing less than being a child of God made in his image. And Job said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

Satan thought he could take everything away from Job and Job would curse God. “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face” (Job 1:9-11).

Take it all; I still have my God. Nothing can touch that! No one can touch that. Not a demeaning boss, nor a degrading father, nor a disloyal friend, nor the devil himself. When we delight in God we find rest, contentment, peace, significance. Nothing can rob us of that, because God is not going anywhere.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~Romans 8:38-39

Daily Prayer

Father in heaven, you are the Creator of all things. I give you all glory and honor and praise. What a world you have created! Forgive me for focusing on the trivial when the majesty of your creation is forever in front of me. Oh Lord, may I be content in you.

Faith, hope, and love, these are essential. And the greatest of these is love. Out of my faith in the God of truth, out of my hope in the God who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, may I love you with all of my heart, my soul, my mind, and my might. And may I love others, and thus display my love for You to the world.

Amen

Daily Question

What would be different if you saw yourself the way God sees you?

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How to Treat an Enemy

Daily Reading

2Samuel 8-12

Daily Thought

Saul learned early on the first rule of being king is protect the throne by eliminating the competition. When Saul was king, David was the competition. Many times Saul tried to kill David, but he did not succeed, and now David is king. Surprisingly, David asked, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2Samuel 9:1). 

Really? Kindness? If there is anyone left of the house of Saul, that person has claim to the throne. The first rule of king: Eliminate the competition. Protect the throne.

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, and was, therefore, heir to the throne. Mephibosheth was the competition. Yet David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always” (2Samuel 9:7). Rather than kill his competition, David took care of Mephibosheth.

David changed the rules! Why? 

Because he knew if you treat your enemy as your enemy treats you, you will become like your enemy.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” ~Matthew 5:43-45

However, if you treat your enemy as Jesus treats you, you will become like Jesus.

Daily Prayer

Father in Heaven, You are love – all that love is or can be or can do. My love is soft, convenient. I am careful with my love, lest I be hurt. Your love walks into hurtful places and does what is difficult, risking it all. Your Son died because You love us.

God, may I walk in that kind of love, confident love, passionate love, active love, love that risks. Love where no love is returned. Loving even my enemies. In a world where love has lost its meaning, may I be a definition of Your love. May I change the rules.  May I display Godly love toward all people all the time.

Amen

Daily Question

Are you more prone to treat people the way you wish to be treated or treat people the way they treat you?

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Temptation

Daily Reading

Judges 16-18

Daily Thought

One of the scribes asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:28, 30).

Samson had God’s strength… “Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat” (Judges 14:6).

…but he loved Delilah. “After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah” (Judges 16:4).

David had God’s heart… “The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people” (1Samuel 13:14).

…but he loved Bathsheba. “He saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman” (2Samuel 11:2-3).

Solomon had God’s wisdom… “Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you” (1Kings 3:12).

…but he loved one thousand women. “He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart” (1Kings 11:3).

Lest I fool myself, believing I can resist temptation on my own, I should remember that I am not stronger than Samson, more godly than David, nor wiser than Solomon. But I know someone who is and I’m not on my own. 

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” ~Hebrews 4:15-16

Daily Prayer

Almighty God of Wisdom, God of Love, I pray that my heart reflects Your heart. You have made me for a purpose. I am Your workmanship. May I keep my eyes on Jesus. May I fully love You. May I not find things attractive that would steal my devotion to You.

May I love You with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my strength, and thank You for Your grace that carries me when I fall short.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Daily Question

How close are you to keeping the greatest commandment?

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A Guy Like Me

Daily Reading

Judges 10-12

Daily Thought

The people of Israel are again (still) doing evil in the eyes of the Lord (Judges 10:6), so God lifted his hand of protection and permitted the Philistines to torment them. Israel cried for help, and God responds, “Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you” (Judges 10:14). But the people cried louder and God relented and raised a leader and Judges 11 is beautiful grace.

His name was Jephthah and he was born of a prostitute, but lived with his dad and his dad’s wife and their legitimate sons. Jephthah was a constant reminder his father strayed, so when Jephthah was old enough to leave, he did. He collected worthless fellows as companions and formed a mob, a mob that could fight, and Israel needed fighters. How Jephthah developed a deep faith in God isn’t recorded, but he spoke of his Lord more than anyone else in Judges. He was a mix of street smarts, worldly manners, and impassioned faith. God chose Jephthah to lead Israel.

He made mistakes, one in particular. He vowed to God, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return shall be the Lord’s, I will offer it up for a burnt offering” (Judges 11:30-31). His daughter was first out the door to greet him. His vow was foolish, even wicked, pagan, and ungodly; but that was the way of the world he knew. If you want the help of the gods, make big promises. The Bible records life as it happens, unvarnished. It records that Jephthah “did with her according to his vow that he had made” (Judges 11:39). The Bible is a rough read.

A guest interviewed on “The Tonight Show” said, “I don’t know anybody who could read the Bible and still want to be a religious person. It is a book filled with immorality, wickedness, and then just plain silliness.” Yes, it is. It is raw humanity in need of God’s strength and guidance, which to me makes it eminently readable. Three millennia later, I live in a world that is every bit as immoral, wicked, and silly. I need God, the kind of God who will work with a guy like Jephthah. And a guy like me.

Daily Prayer

My Lord, You show me your love in grace. I do not deserve it, I do not even desire it, and I certainly do not seek it. And then You die for me anyway. You take my sins on Yourself, you pay the price of justification, and You share Your righteousness with me. You adopt me as Your child, teach me Your ways, and give me Your strength.

How can I possibly not love You? I love because You first loved me.

Amen

Daily Question

What skills do you have that God can use?

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Chivalry

Daily Reading

Joshua 1-4

Daily Thought

From the day I met Debbie, I began opening the car door for her. When we are leaving…

“We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt. As soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.”  ~Joshua 2:10-11

And when we arrive…

As soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water, the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.  ~Joshua 3:15-16

It is more than a gesture, it is an announcement. I want the world to know she is my girl, my one-and-only, and I’d do anything for her.

And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’” ~Joshua 4;21-22

I learned this from the Lord my God..

“For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” ~Joshua 4:23-24

Daily Prayer

Lord God, not only do You go before me, but You set the path in front of me, and light the path for me with Your Word. Father, You came to bring me life and life abundantly. Almighty God, you hold the door open for me. And I hesitate? You announced that Your Kingdom is here, right in front of me. God, I choose to follow You, the King of heaven and earth.

King of kings, I pray for your guidance and protection. I pray that I would reflect Your way of life. That I would embrace goodness and godliness. Thank You for not only instructing me as to what is good, but showing me the good by sending Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen

Daily Question

How do you know you belong to God?

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The Act of Love

Daily Reading

Deuteronomy 5-7

Daily Thought

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). If we love because we are commanded to love, is it truly love? Isn’t love “a many-splendored thing,” a rapturous mystery that springs from my heart, over which I have little if any control?  

Not according to God’s Word, and not according to life either. Attraction springs up and disappears at its own whim, but not love. Love grows into reality with a decision, I choose to love you. I choose to love you no matter what, no matter how I feel or how you make me feel. I love you the way I learned to love, the way God loves me. Even at my worst, God sacrificed his best for me–“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God wills his best toward me, and I in turn will my best toward others. I love them as I love myself.

More than feeling and beyond choice, love is action, and often an act of sacrifice. “God so loved … that he gave” (John 3:16). Count the emotions in 1Corinthians 13:4-8, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” I count two, maybe–irritable and resentful could be emotions, and even they are what love is not, not what love is.

What love is is displayed by God toward me in his Son, Jesus Christ; and by me, in turn, toward God, presenting all of me, my heart, my soul, my might, to him. When I love God in this way, I will love those he loves, as well–my neighbors, my enemies, everyone.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, I am amazed at Your love. Your Son sacrificed for my sake. Your Son considering me and everyone else on this planet above Himself. He released His hold on Your presence, and emptied Himself of glory, and died. Shamefully died for my shame.

Thank You. You saved me, showed me what love looks like, and gave me the capacity to love others. If You had not first loved me, I would not even know what love looks like, because I was consumed with me first. But now, I too am learning to consider others before and above me. To love them as I love myself. What an amazing love.

Amen

Daily Question

What are your greatest obstacles to loving certain people?

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The Cup

Daily Reading

Luke 21-22

Daily Thought

It was his last Passover with the disciples. They did not know that, but Jesus did. He knew what was coming, and, during the meal, Jesus gave them (and us) something to remember: the bread and the wine would be his body and his blood. “This is my body, which is given for you. This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:19-20). The disciples would, the following day, watch these words play out on a Roman cross. “But behold,” Jesus warned, “the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table” (Luke 22:21). Jesus already knew about Judas! “And you, Peter,” Jesus said, “the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me” (Luke 22:34). And it happened. 

The disciples will remember that Jesus knew ahead of time all that would happen, that he was still and always in command. But foreknowledge does not make the cross easier, rather, it makes it all-the-more terrifying.

Daddy had the flu. Five-year-old Sara wanted to help, and in she walked carrying a tray. On the tray, a Sports Illustrated magazine, some saltine crackers, and a cup of tea. 

“I didn’t know you could make tea,” smiled Dad. 

Sara smiled back and nodded her head. “I put the tea leaves in the water like Mom does, and then I strained it into a cup,” explained Sara. “But I couldn’t find a strainer, so I used the flyswatter.” 

Do you drink the tea? 

Taking some disciples with him to the Mount of Olives, Jesus “knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.’” Jesus knew exactly what was in the cup set before him. He did not want to drink the cup. “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:41-42). He drank the cup, the cup of wrath for the sins of the world.

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” ~1John 3:16

Our choice is not to sacrifice, but to love, and sacrifice gladly follows.

Daily Prayer

My Savior Jesus, You came to this earth and drank the cup of death that belonged to me. You took my sin and made it Your own and bore my penalty of death for my sake. You demonstrated a love that I can barely comprehend. You are God, my Creator, and I rejected You–but You never rejected me. In fact, You became like me so You could go to the cross for me. You knew exactly what was coming.

I want to pray what You prayed, not my will, but Yours be done. Make me into someone who is willing to drink the cup of sacrifice, to display my love for You through my love for others, taking last place in order to serve those ahead of me.

Amen

Daily Question

Did Jesus want to die on the cross?