ICS Daily Devotions
The Father’s Perfect Love
It is especially important to show the love of God to others not only during the season of Christmas but also in our daily living with others. Living in a fast paced society, there is a tendency for us to become impatient, easily offended by others, belittle others and become vengeful, even to the extent of growing cold in our love towards God and His word.
The Bible says that in the end times, people will be lovers of self , lovers of money, boasters, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unyielding, false accusers, without self-control, savage, despisers of good, traitors, reckless, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it.
The world will get darker and darker each day but the Church of the living God will get more glorious each day as we await the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will be a Church that loves God and men. This love will draw the people into the Kingdom of God. Faith, Hope and Love. Love will last forever.
Living on man’s standard of love is difficult to love because it is centered on one’s self rather than others! Understanding and learning from the love of God will enable us to love others.
1 John 4:17-19 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.
It is mentioned as He is, so also are we in this world. Jesus was righteous, the Son of God, loved and accepted by the Father. Therefore, based on the complete work of redemption in Christ, we are also righteous, loved and accepted by the Father. Thus we have no fear because we understand the love of God. Perfect love has no fear.
Many people do not understand this love of God, in fact they are living in constant fear that God might do something bad or punish them if they were to make the slightest mistake. Why? Because they base their acceptance by God on what they have done or are doing for God.
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
We will never be good enough to stand before God if it is based on our own actions but we are loved by God because of His mercy and grace toward us.
Sermon Series: Knowing God’s Love to love others
