Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about the impact of Love. As most of you know by now, love is my favorite subject. No matter how much the enemy tries beat it out of me, God’s love is much stronger and valiant in my heart. As we grow in our Faith walk, God’s love penetrates our heart. Yet we’re still in the world, so we experience the evil of the world as well, which can often times harden our heart. Throughout our faith walk, each day a part of that hardness melts away, and is replaced with the love of God. It’s likened to a fire that burns the impurities off of a raw God nugget, which makes it a valuable commodity once cleansed of its impurities. As an unsaved man, we couldn’t begin to understand the love of God, because we hadn’t yet experienced it for ourselves. However, when we make the conscious decision to accept Jesus as Lord, His Spirit enters our heart, and sparks the flame.

There’s a huge difference between earthly love, and Godly love. God loves unconditionally; can you understand the concept of that? Can you imagine loving someone so much that you forgive them no matter what they do. Jesus taught us in His Sermon on the Mount: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” (Matt. 5:38-40) Can you imagine doing this? What would happen if someone slaps you, how much strength would it take for you to not only refrain from slapping them back, but to give them the other cheek? You have to be filled with a lot of love [unconditional love even] to sacrifice yourself, lay aside your pride, and let someone slap you and do nothing. However, I get where Jesus was coming from. He’s instructing us to love each other no matter what. There has to be a reason why someone wants to slap you. They’re obviously very angry and hurt over something that transpired in the past, which may not have anything to do with you. When you turn and give them the other cheek, you’re letting them know that no matter what you do, I’m going to love you anyway, because God loves me.

Of course Jesus wants us to relate this to every aspect of our life, because the cure for hate is love. Love is the only thing that could overcome evil. If we solved every problem, or overcame every struggle with love, we win every time. I notice as my spirit matures love comes naturally. I have the ability to quickly forgive, which helps me heal faster. Jesus warned us: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” (Matt 10:16) With this great amount of love overflowing in me, I’ve quickly learned how to be in tune with my Spirit of discernment, which helps me to make wise decisions. It allows me to see through some people, so I can love them, but love them from a distance. We are still human, and we have our vulnerabilities and weaknesses, which will bring us to breaking points. Worldly people will hate and persecute that which they don’t understand, so it’s by love that we’ll be able to build up a tolerance, and pray for those who spitefully use us, and means us harm. Does that mean that we’re going to hang out with them, and be their BFF? Hardly, but it does mean that we’ll love and forgive them regardless.

I love you, which is why I write daily—I want you to feel what I feel in my heart. I can only love you, because I’m filled with the love of Jesus Christ. Once you’re filled with His love, you’ll be able to recognize true earthly love. Love is at the core of everything that God does for us, and should be in everything that we do for Him. When we’re doing a favor for a friend, taking care of a stranger, being there for our spouse and children, we’re doing it from deep down in our heart, because we love God, and He loves us. I don’t know how many times I’ve been “slapped”, and have had to turn the other cheek, and I can now honestly say that there is no love lost, yet it took some time to get there. I’m so grateful that I’ve reached this point in my life, but it’s still a daily journey. I’m still human, and still get upset and extremely angry sometimes, but I never lose that feeling of love for anyone. It takes a lot of practice and prayer, but it works. It makes your heart lighter, and you’re free to fellowship with God, with no hindrance. When you hate or have an unforgiving heart, you only hurt yourself—bitterness is a way of life that you choose.

If you feel like you’re at a place in life where you’ve never really experienced love, then it’s time to give Jesus a try. Learn about His life, and you’ll learn about what it is to live in love. This will allow you to give and receive it freely as well. The first step to experiencing the love of God first hand is to accept Jesus as Lord. Take a few minutes to take the God Quiz right now. Remember, you can’t live life to the fullest, if you don’t know what you’re living for. My favorite verse today is: Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. (Ephesians 5:2)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about conviction and regret. The word regret is defined: a feeling of sorrow or remorse for a fault, act, loss, disappointment, etc. There are lot’s of people who live with regret, every day of their life, and it’s significantly impacts them. I remember I used to say that I don’t regret anything, because everything that happens in my life is meant to strengthen me, and make me a better person, however, everyone feels some type of regret at some time. We all have goals that we fail to meet, and have made stupid mistakes—that’s a part of life. We sometimes feel remorse or regret when we make mistakes, or stray from the path God laid out for us, because the Holy Spirit convicts us. Convictions are meant to promote repentance, so that we can maintain a level of righteous required to stay in the good graces of the Lord.

The wonderful thing about Jesus Christ is that He came to offer us freedom from sin, and He doesn’t condemn, or write us off, because of mistakes, or even blatant sin. He’s constantly working within us to make us better people in Christ. While on earth, before He was killed, He told His disciples that He would be leaving them. They protested that, because they would’ve experienced great remorse because of losing someone that had grown near and dear to their heart. He explained that this had to be done, for the sake of all mankind. He said: “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.” (John 14:25-27) Jesus died so we wouldn’t have to hold on to regret, and on top of that, God sent the Holy Spirit to help us minimize the things we regret, so embrace that freedom.

Are you holding on to regret right now? I can’t tell you how much that affects your overall life. It’s right up there with unforgiveness—it affects you more in the long run, then the mistake, or person you’re holding a grudge against. Life is too short to live in the past, or to allow a few mistakes to consume you. When we make mistakes, and learn from them, they we worth experiencing; you can call it a lesson learned. However when you make mistakes, or blatantly sin, and don’t learn from them, or refuse to repent, then they will haunt you, until you make things right with God. In most cases the only reason we hold on to regret is because we’ve been convicted, but we failed to confess those sins, and ask for forgiveness.

Another reason we hold on to regret is because we have had some type of disagreement or fallout with a friend or family member, and we hold a grudge, or fail to forgive that person. Jesus said: “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. (Matt. 18:15-17) In life people will hurt you, and you will hurt them, even those who are closest you to—including your parents, spouse, siblings, and children. If we allow these things to follow, and fester within us, without attempting to resolve them, they’ll have a negative impact on our life. Jesus said we should try several times to work things out, but if at the end we can’t, let it go and move on. We’ve done our best. However, if you don’t try to resolve these matters, then you will forever wonder what if, and live with that regret.

To be honest with you, there are a lot of things I’ve regretted in my life, however, I don’t regret them anymore, because I sought God’s reasoning behind them. I asked Him why I had to do these things, or why I still do them, and He always answers. I stay open to the truth, but sometimes the truth hurts (I think that’s another reason why people don’t face their past, and hold on to regrets). In most cases I’m just being convicted, and once I repent, those feelings of emptiness or remorse fades, and my peace if restored. If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, then you’ll surely live with lots of regret. Take a few moments to get to know Him, start with the God Quiz today. My favorite verse today is: Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head: therefore my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, make haste to help me. (Psalm 40:12-13)

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