Daily Devotional

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  • REPUTATION FOR FAITH AND LOVE
    

    

    I always thank my God, remembering you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your loveG26 for all the saints.
    
Philemon 1:4-5
    




    After greeting Philemon and others with him, Paul let him know that he prayed for him and thanked God that he had a reputation for faith in the Lord and love for the saints. What an encouragement that must have been to Philemon!  Are you and I people that cause others to thank God as they pray for us? Are we known for our faith and love? I hope so. It’s something to meditate on, to think of how other people might remember us as they pray. Are they thanking the Lord for us or asking Him to make us aware of areas that we need to surrender to Him? This may help us to realize some things in our lives might need to change. We may need to rely more on the Lord and be more demonstrative in our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Another thought came to mind as I read this. How often do I encourage other believers by letting them know how God has used them in my life or how I’ve observed Him using them to bless others? Do I commend my friends when they demonstrate faith in Christ? Do I pray for God to strengthen them and me in these areas?
    




    There are many people in my life that I should send a card or letter to in order to encourage them as they have encouraged me. Perhaps I should take some time this weekend to follow through on that idea. Do you need to do the same? Ask the Lord to bring those people to mind that you need to pray for, thank the Lord for, and encourage by sending a card or email or maybe calling them on the phone. This is an excellent way to demonstrate our love for the “familyship” of God.
    




    Father, seeing others rely upon You strengthens our own faith. Thank You for the positive examples of faith and love You have given us through many believers over the years. Help us to take the time to write some notes this weekend. Help us also to be an example of faithfulness and love to others.
    

  • LOVE IS AN ACTION WORD
    

    

    Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, loveG26, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
    
2 Timothy 2:22
    




    Rather than embracing erotic love, physical pleasures, gluttonous appetites, and miserly wealth, Paul instructed Timothy to run after Christlike, self-sacrificing love. As a pastor, one should embrace the principles that Christ embodied. A pastor should be eager to visit those in hospitals, the bereaved, and those in prison. He/she should reach out to those members in nursing homes or home-found (not home-bound because they are not chained there, but you find them there—It’s a “Susanism”). Paul gave Timothy explicit instructions considering widows, but today that might include single parents or grandparents caring for their grandchildren. The pastor may not be able to personally minister to each member of the congregation, but he or she should encourage a plan for others to do so. A pastor may, of necessity, delegate these responsibilities. However, he or she needs to lead workers to lovingly minister to those in need. The agápē principle is that we choose to love. It is a love that springs from the heart of God and is relentless and passionate whether our emotions are involved or not. It is not so much loving because as it is loving despite—loving whether the recipient of the love seems worthy or even appreciative or not. No matter what their response is, the godly person continues to demonstrate God’s love. This kind of love comes from an eternal rather than a temporal perspective. Not only paid pastors are called to demonstrate this kind of love. All of us as believers are called to share the love of Jesus with everyone within our circle of influence.
    




    Brainstorm specific ways you can spread the love of Jesus with people you know. If you have children, plan ways to include them in loving deeds to teach them that love is an action word. 
    




    Father, infuse us with Your love to the point that we cannot help but let it bubble over effervescently onto others. Help us to love the unlovely exuberantly. Help us to be more like Jesus in loving!