Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 118:25-29
Ps 118:25-29
O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
1 John 4:7-8
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
This Psalm began with: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. We owe our existence to the love of God. We can never be what he wants us to become if we do not have love. Paul said that no matter what great things we do, no matter how good they are, without love they are nothing. Jesus said the two greatest commands that have been given are to love the Lord God with all our being and the second is love each other as we love ourselves. God is love!
Genuine God love loves even when it is undeserved, when it is unexpected, when it seems impossible. He loved us when we were his enemies. Jesus showed this love in many ways but none greater than when he called on the Father to forgive those who were putting him to death. Stephen emulated him and did the same.
It is easy to love those who love us. This makes it easy to forgive them. It makes it much easier to be patient with them, to be kind to them and to see the best side of them. Many of us practice this without knowing it with our children and our grandchildren. No matter what they do, we love them unconditionally.
John says that if we love God with all our being, we will love each other as God loves us. Without the love of God in our hearts, we would not know how to love each other. But when we accept Jesus as our Savior, then his love is completed in us, and we are equipped to love each other. With this love we can be patient, kind, considerate, forgiving, and look for the best in others around us.
O Lord God, thank you for loving me, even when I know I don’t deserve it. Thank you for your love that endures forever, even when faith becomes reality and hope is fulfilled in seeing that which is now the unseen. Fill me with your love so that it overflows on everyone that knows me, sees me, or comes in contact with me. Use me to show others the love of Jesus for them. Help me be forgiving. Keep me from being prejudiced toward anyone but help me treat others as I want them to treat me. Give us leaders who love you and love Jesus. It is in his name I pray.
Robert
