Daily Devotional ~ Love With Conviction

Worship: If you'd like to play a song before you begin or while you read, may we recommend "I'm Just a Nobody" by The Williams Brothers and/or "Hard Love" by NEEDTOBREATHE. Why not try asking alexa, siri, or google to play it for you?!

Daily Verse: When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord! ”
☆ Luke 5:8 HCSB

Let's Talk About It: The presence of God is a powerful thing! In the Old Testament as well as the New, we see people falling flat on their face and admonishing themselves with guilt over their inferiority.

See, friends, that's just what the Spirit of God, or Holy Spirit, does...it convicts.

Yesterday, I talked about how we need to walk in love. Today, I want to touch on why.

When we walk in Christ's love and righteousness, we don't need to point out sin to convict people. The presence of God does that. We were never created to be judge and jury. That is Christ's job and when He comes back as judge, you better believe He will handle it precisely as it should be.

When we point it out, it takes the focus off of God and puts it on us, and our judgements and criticism. It disrupts God's efforts as well. If Christ thought we should be telling everyone just how bad they are living, He would have told us that was our commitment. But that's not what He said we were to go out and do. We were all admonished by Christ Himself to do share the Good News of Christ with every nation.

So, what do we do then? We love people anyway; in their guilt, in their sins, in their messy life...because that's what Jesus did for us, and He expects us to live the same way. He gave us 3 things to do before He ascended.

1. Love Yahweh, The God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob.
2. Love your neighbor as you love yourself (even those who do you wrong).
3. Go tell everyone you can about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Are you meeting the obligations? If not, repent, get back up, dust yourself off, and keep running your race, friend, even if you're walking rather than running this season, and even if you're stumbling. God's got you!💖

Additional Reading: But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
☆ Matthew 5:39‭-‬42 HCSB

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for today. Help me to love people as you instructed me to. Lord, it goes against my sin nature to love like you love, but Lord, I believe you can empower me to do so because you set me free from that sin nature. I don't want to walk around blind to the pain of those around me, God, I want to be a light that shines the hope and love of Christ Jesus. Help me, Lord, see people, treat people, and love people like you do, even when it doesn't make sense. I thank you for your righteousness, Jesus. Thank you for saving me. I thank you for protection over my family. I thank you for healing. I thank you for life and freedom through your blood, Lord. I love you Jesus, and in Your name I pray, amen.