The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 17 December 2019 – Love In Action
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TOPIC: Love In Action
READ: 1 John 3:10-24 (NKJV)
10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor [is] he who does not love his brother.
11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
12 not as Cain [who] was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love [his] brother abides in death.
15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren.
17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
THE MESSAGE:
Brotherly love is so scarce in our generation despite the multiplicity of Churches and ministries; unfortunately the so-called Churches and ministries are the major cause of problems in so many families today.
However, in the face of this, we all still claim to be Christians. Early Christians demonstrated their love by selling their belongings to help brothers in need. But these days, we claim brotherhood without the willingness to make sacrifices for our brothers. We have become so selfish; only thinking about ourselves and immediate family members, with no concern about what happens to our next door neighbour. Where is the love we confess? Let us not love in word only, but in deed and in truth (I John 3: 18). Love for our neighbour is a must, if indeed we are to be’ called disciples of Christ. And that love must be backed up with the willingness to make sacrifices if need be.
The level of atrocity – kidnapping, ritual killings, fraud, child trafficking, etc., – we witness in our society today is a clear evidence that there is no love amongst us anymore. Love is the ultimate (1 Corinthians 13: 13). Love compelled Jesus to die on the cross. Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Where there is love, there is peace and progress. Let us practise love, for God is Love.
PRAYER: Lord teach us to love others as You loved us in Jesus Christ Name. Amen.
