Topic – Love: An Antidote For Death [Tuesday 6, December 2016]
Memorise: We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. – 1 John 3:14
Read: 1 John 3:9-11 (KJV)
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
Bible in One Year: Exodus 22:16-24:18, Psalms 118
MESSAGE:
The first attribute that becomes noticeable in a genuinely born-again child of God is the love for God and humanity. Every converted and renewed child of God operates under the control of the Holy Spirit, he is fully aware of new spiritual experiences and desires, as the Holy Spirit kick-starts the work of character restoration in him. A loving relationship between a Christian and Jesus therefore provides the most credible evidence of the grace of God at work in the life of a believer.
We all know that true lovers always enjoy each other’s company and fellowship. When one lover has an opportunity to spend time with the other, and for any reason misses that opportunity, he becomes sad. God loves to fellowship with man and this has been so from the very beginning. God created man to fellowship with Him; this is the major reason why He created us in His image. He enjoyed coming to meet and fellowship with Adam in the cool of the day. How He cherished it! It became a daily appointment which He never missed. Then imagine His disappointment when He came one day and Adam was nowhere to be found. After that, God needed another person to continue from where Adam had stopped. He kept searching until He found Enoch. Genesis 5:24 says:
“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”
Enoch walked with God for at least 300 years! The fellowship was so intense that death could not touch him. God had to call him to glory to continue the fellowship there. The reverse is the case for anyone that hates God. Proverbs 8:36 says:
“But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.”
Indeed, love is an antidote for death, if you truly love God and obey His commandments, death will be far away from you. Do you love God? Do you have a regular time to fellowship with God? Some believers do not have a standing altar of fellowship with God as a family. This is wrong; God wants to be intimate with you. Open yourself and your whole household to God, and create time for regular fellowship with Him today.
Prayer Point: Father, please help me to love You with all my heart, soul and spirit in Jesus’ name.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.
