Sometimes when you read a devotion or scripture it can challenge you. This on today feels like it dose, remebering not to fall away from caring and loving others like Christ loves his people. Not that I love like the world full of lust and nasty love, but sometiems when I'm upset or been hurt by others sometimes or somedays it feels like you don't love like you used to.
This devotion is saying there's some churches that start out great or fresh and new, but later sometimes can get carried away with routine, rules, programs, rules for memebers, ect like it'll say below and loose love and focus why they have a church, why they are supose to love. When you don't reign yourself in and take alook you can loose track of what God had set in place.
Some of it reminds me of a church that was going well, but quit because after awhile I think seemed to of lost focus of what caring means and Christ's love. To restore and to shepard the flock, and to listen with reason, or forgotten to listen to God.
4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first![b]
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
The church in Corinth lost its first love for Jesus Christ. They maintained their spiritual activities but did them without love.
Many people in todays church face the same problem. They have become so consumed by committees, rules, programs, and personal agendas that they have forgotten about love. So many Christians today have lost their vision and mission because they do not serve in love.
As Jesus rebuked the church in Ephesus, Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love (Revelation 2:4).
What does agape love look like? Paul tells us: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
Pauls description paints a picture of the love of Jesus Christ. He is the one against whom we are to measure ourselves. We are to love others as Christ loves us. Jesus said, A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34-35).
Has your love been met by rejection? By betrayal? Has your love been met by cold indifference or by anger? Has your love been met with hatred? Has your love been met with selfishness, jealousy, and resentment? Keep loving, for only love endures forever.
Prayer: God, help me to love others the way You do. Help me to never stop loving. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever (Psalm 118:1).
What a challenge! Thanks again for your thoughts and for pointing us to the real reason we are called "Christ-ones". We have a message of hope to share with the lost world. Thanks!