Topic: Demonstrating His Love [Friday, July 28th]
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment (Philippians 1:9).*_
You’ll appreciate our opening verse better if we read it from the Amplified Version. It says, “And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment].” Here, the Spirit’s prayer through Paul is that you demonstrate and express the love of Christ copiously, with knowledge and discernment.
Christianity is walking in the love of Christ: expressing and manifesting His love in a dark and cynical world, howbeit, with the knowledge of God’s Word and discernment. Sometimes, people think that when you walk in love, you’re naive and weak, but that’s not true; love never makes you weak. Rather, it’s those who don’t walk in love, in the knowledge of God’s Word and discernment, that are naive and weak.
Love makes you give of yourself to others without thinking of what you’ll get in return. It makes you think of others and accept them just as they are. Love is unselfish and breaks the barriers of race, ethnicity, and social strata. Love sees the beauty in others and appreciates who they are. Consciously appreciate those around you and express the love of Jesus to them. God wants you to act that way, more and more. He said, “…that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight…” (Philippians 1:9 AMP).
Take your communication for instance; the way you address others; it ought to be with loving, gracious, and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It’s how God wants us to live.
Preaching the Gospel isn’t only when you talk to a sinner; you preach the Gospel with your life every day, no matter who you’re talking to. And the Gospel, is Christ alive in you: His love seen, heard, expressed and experienced by others through you.
PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for your love-nature that’s fully expressed in, and demonstrated through me. I’m loving, tender, compassionate and gracious to those in my world, displaying and spreading your righteousness and the realities of the Kingdom, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY: || Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. ||
|| James 3:6-10 And the tongue [is] a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8 But the tongue can no man tame; [it is] an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. ||
|| Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. ||
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
1-Year Bible Reading Plan: Romans 3:1-31,
Psalms 42-44
2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Luke 11:37-44,
Judges 2-3
