SINCERE LOVE FROM SANCTIFIED HEARTS

March 25, 2022

Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine loveG5360 for your brothers, loveG25 one another deeply, from a pure heart.

1 Peter 1:22 (BSB)

Since by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves for a sincere love of the believers, [see that you] love one another from the heart [always unselfishly seeking the best for one another]

1 Peter 1:22 (AMP)

The blood of Jesus washes us clean because of His sacrifice on the cross. However, if you love the Lord, the Holy Spirt is continually sanctifying you to make you more like Christ. There is no benefit to the word of God, the truth, unless one obeys what has been learned. That obedience by the power of the Spirit within us makes us pure. We cannot love “from a pure heart” if we are not cooperating in our purification by obeying God’s word, not because of compulsion or obligation, but because of our love for and relationship with Jesus. Then the Holy Spirit will grow in us authentic, fervent love for the family of God, our brothers and sisters in Christ. We often end a letter by signing love and our name. We say good-bye on the phone with a quick, “Love you.” Are these just greetings we use because of tradition and habit, or do we sincerely, deeply love our brothers and sisters in Christ?

As we have stated in previous devotions, love is an action word. It can be a noun, but it is also a verb. How are you demonstrating your love in the family of God? It could be listening to a brother or sister as they walk through difficult circumstances. It could be by meeting the needs of a “framily” member when times are tough. It could be as simple as a phone call or text to check on a church member who has missed Sunday school a couple of times. Ask the Lord to show you ways to demonstrate your love for His family. Then put that sincere love into action this week in whatever ways God leads you.

Father, by Your Holy Spirit enable us to understand and obey Your word. May our response to the Spirit’s prompting be eager and earnest obedience. Develop in us the Christlike love for Your forever family and show us how to put that love into action.