DEVOTIONAL SERIES ON LOVE (part-5)

A HEART OF LOVE

When we receive God’s salvation, we enter a new journey of
living a life that is pleasing to Him. Of course, that means we
are willing to ‘give up’ the things that are not pleasing to Him.
It’s not easy, and God knows that, so He will begin to transform
(sanctify) us starting with our heart. He will give us a heart of love.

Christian living includes a heart of love, which will:

1. Listen without interrupting.
    My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:
    Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak
    and slow to become angry.
    (James 1:19)

    To answer before listening – that is folly and shame.
    (Proverbs 18:13)

2. Speak without accusing.
     The chief priests and the teachers of the law
     were standing there, vehemently accusing Him
     (Luke 23:10)

3. Give without sparing.
     All day long he craves for more,
     but the righteous give without sparing.
     (Proverbs 21:26)

4. Pray without ceasing.
     For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have
     not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill
     you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom
     and understanding that the Spirit gives.
     (Colossians 1:9)

5. Answer without arguing.
     Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
     than a house full of feasting, with strife.
     (Proverbs 17:1)

6. Share without pretending.
     Do what is right and good in the LORD’s
     sight, so that it may go well with you.
     (Deuteronomy 6:18a)

7. Enjoy without complaint.
     Do everything without grumbling or arguing.
     (Philippians 2:14)

8. Trust without wavering.
     Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on
     your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him,
     and He will make your paths straight.
     (Proverbs 3:5-6)

9. Forgive without punishing.
     Bear with each other and forgive one another
     if any of you has a grievance against someone.
     Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
     (Colossians 3:13)

10. Promise without forgetting.
       You are my portion, LORD;
        I have promised to obey Your words.
       (Psalm 119:57)

Words of wisdom to consider being transformed by God.
(Proverbs 18)

An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.

When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.

The words of the mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

It is not good to be partial to the wicked
and so deprive the innocent of justice.

The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.

The mouths of fools are their undoing,
and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.

One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.

The name of the LORD is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.

The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.

To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame.

The human spirit can endure in sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
for the ears of the wise seek it out.

A gift opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

Casting the lot settles disputes
and keeps strong opponents apart.

A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.

The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

He who finds a wife finds what is good
and receives favor from the LORD.

The poor plead for mercy,
but the rich answer harshly.

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

ACTION:
These scriptures should give us a good measurement of how
much the love of God is transforming us to become more
like Jesus. As He ‘remolds’ us, we should see more of His
characteristics in our lives as we become more righteous.

That is what ‘sanctification’ is all about. It is the work of
God to purge us of ‘unrighteousness’ and to fill the empty
spaces with ‘righteousness’. Why would He choose to do
that? It can be summed up in one word, which is ‘Love’.

God loves us and wants what is best for us, because He
IS love. Aren’t you glad that we have a Heavenly Father
with that magnitude of love for us?

How magnificent is it that God knows how weak we are and
how much we struggle with resisting temptations? He also
knows how it can be overwhelming when we think about trying
to develop the characteristics of Jesus in our life. So, our loving
Heavenly Father steps in and does for us what we cannot do for
ourselves in our own strength.

What should we expect to see in our lives as a result of God’s
intervention?
    Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever
    is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever
    is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent
    or praiseworthy—think about such things.
    (Philippians 4:8)

    He came and preached peace to you who were far away and
    peace to those who were near. For through him we both have
    access to the Father by one Spirit.
    (Ephesians 2:17-18)
        Think about what that means for us. We are to become people
        of peace, and when we do, we will know how to be kind and
        considerate of others, even during the times when we disagree.
        We will also have the capacity to obey God’s command to honor
        our parents. Look at the importance Jesus gave to that command:
            Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher,
            what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
            “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied.
            “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life,
            keep the commandments.”
            “Which ones?” he inquired.
            Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit
            adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony,
            honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as
            yourself.’

Jesus was quoting one of the Ten Commandments from God
Almighty.
    “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may
      live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”
      (Exodus 20:12)

Some of the things Jesus said we MUST do to inherit eternal
life might be easy for us (murder, steal, lie, covet, etc.), but
“loving neighbors as ourselves” can be a challenge when we
realize that ‘neighbors’ means everyone.

Notice He didn’t say love them when they are nice, He just said
‘love them’. It’s the same way with our parents. He didn’t tell us
to honor them only if they have been really good parents, He just
said ‘honor you father and mother’.

When we consider the words from Jesus, the challenge is for
us to love others, and honor our parents, even if we feel they
have done nothing to earn our love and honor. If we fail to
obey the words from Jesus (which are ultimately from God),
then we have failed to earn their love, haven’t we?

But, they have chosen to love us anyway. That’s the kind of
love we will have too, when we develop an attitude of peace
in our lives, right? Armed with a love like Jesus, we will be
able to love, honor, be kind, be respectful and be considerate
of others at all times.

Just to make sure we clearly understand the words from Jesus,
we are given these instructions in Ephesians:
    Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
    but only what is helpful for building others up according to
    their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not
    grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed
    for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and
    anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
    Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each
    other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
    (Ephesians 4:29-32)

When we obey the instructions from Jesus (and ultimately God),
we are following a path that leads to a love for others and our
parents that is similar to the of love we see in Jesus for us.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me so much
that You want to transform me into more of a likeness
of Jesus. As You sanctify me, I know you are purging
me of all the things that are displeasing to You. As hard
as I try, I cannot remove those things in my own strength,
but You have the omnipotence to overpower the influences
of the evil one in my life. As painful as it might seem at the
time, thank You for removing the unrighteous things in my
life! Help me to love You and others in the same manner
that You love me, and to honor my parents in the same
manner I honor You.”

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