"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV I was sitting in church one Wednesday night, overwhelmed with anger. Someone had hurt me, and I felt they weren't acting the way they should. I thought my sins weren't as bad as theirs, so I felt justified. But then, the Lord gently reminded me that I was wrong. I realized I was judging this person, and that was a sin in itself. God is holy, and my behavior was no better than theirs. I felt convicted and was moved to tears. The Holy Spirit whispered to me, "If you really love them, you would pray for their best, regardless of their behavior." That realization hit me hard. I admitted to myself that I didn’t truly love them as I claimed. My actions showed that I wanted them to act a certain way for my benefit. I remembered the verses from Numbers 6 and knew I needed to pray for G...
"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments." - Deuteronomy 7:9
Our God is full of love, and He cares deeply for us. He described Himself to Moses as "the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin" (Exodus 34:6-7). God's love is reliable, abundant, dynamic, radical, and eternal. Knowing we are loved by God is the best feeling ever.
It's wonderful to start each day knowing God's love is with us and to keep that thought in our hearts all day long, no matter what happens. Love gives us strength and helps us relate better to others. Sharing God's love is a powerful testimony.
God's love in us shapes how we treat others. The Spirit of God guides us to be patient and kind, not boastful or rude, not self-seeking or easily angered, and not keeping a record of wrongs. Love "rejoices with the truth . . . always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13).
God loves us just as He loves His own Son. Love lasts forever. How are you experiencing God's extraordinary love in your life today?
Prayer of the Day
Gracious God, thank You for Your covenant of love and for sending Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins as an act of love. Help me to live a life full of love and faithfulness. Amen.