Feb 25 2022

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

In this verse, John explains that the true meaning of love is what God feels for us. He loved us long before we knew anything about Him. He sent Jesus to atone for our sins so we could have a relationship with Him. Let's look at how this definition of love affects the way we live today.

The Lord loved us even when we were far from Him. Think about your life before you knew Jesus. How did you live? How has your life changed since you've known Him? Before you ever surrendered your life to Him, God loved you. All along, even when you were unaware, He was moving and orchestrating your salvation because of His love for you.

This is encouraging to us also because we know that the Lord loves those who are far from Him, as well as those who are near. The people for whose salvation we have prayed are loved dearly by the Lord. He has not forgotten any of us and He loves each person including those who reject Him. We are all His creations and He loves each of us. Before we even knew the name Jesus, God loved us.

The Lord does not passively love. He sent His son to die for us so we could have a relationship with Him. Think about that: a relationship with us was worth God's own son undergoing a horribly painful death and separation from Him. Jesus loved us enough to willingly go to the cross.

Think about how valuable you are to the Lord. He loved you even when you did not love Him in return. You are loved by the Lord more than you love those who are close to you and more than you even love yourself. Rest knowing that you are valued beyond measure by the One who created you.

Dear Lord, I thank you so much for your love. I will never deserve it and yet you bestow it upon me willingly. Help me to remember and walk in that immense level of grace that you show me. Thank you for loving everyone around me, especially those who do not yet know you. Help them come to know you, Jesus. In your name, amen.

Feb 24 2022

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. :

In this verse, Paul compares knowledge of the Gospel to the light that God Himself created in Genesis. The Gospel gives us light, opening our eyes to the knowledge of the glory of God. Today, we'll reflect on the miracle that is the Gospel and how it points us to Jesus above all.

In the beginning, God created light. He spoke and it came into existence just like that. Where there was only darkness, light now existed. This parallels our conversion experience. Before the Holy Spirit moved in our hearts, they were darkened by sin and famished without knowledge of the Lord. When we were saved, what had been dark became light.

Just as God is the creator of light, He is the creator of our salvation. We do not have any claim to our salvation. It is an act of grace performed by the Holy Spirit on our hearts. There is no one who desires the Lord apart from His work in our lives. Because of this, we should not become prideful about where we are; rather, we should give credit to the Lord for everything good within us. That's another reason to honor Him for how He moves in our hearts.

Paul says that knowledge of the glory of God comes in the face of Jesus Christ. This means we learn about God's glory by looking at the life that Jesus lived. He lived in complete confidence in His Father's goodness and love. He did not get anxious about anything and repeatedly turned to God in prayer. When He endured a brutal death on the cross, the separation between God and people no longer existed. The glory of God could now be experienced by everyone because Jesus covered our sins.

Today, we can rejoice in the glory of the Lord. We have seen Him move in our hearts, bringing light where there was once only darkness, and we can rest knowing that He is always faithful.

Dear Lord, I thank you for being a God of light. You bring order out of chaos and you bring salvation out of hopelessness. You are the reason I am saved, and there is none like you in all the earth. I love you, Lord, and I rest in you forever. In Jesus' name, amen.


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