Daily Devotion for October 11, 2006

Divine Loving

 

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you." John 14:15-17

 

Love and obey are two precious keywords in our text today. Without love, we cannot serve God. We express our love for God when we obey His commandments. The ability to love in a divine way comes from the Holy Spirit. It is a gift from God to believers. We receive the Holy Spirit when we surrender ourselves to Jesus as our Lord and Savior. As our comforter, the Holy Spirit dwells in us, guides us into the truths contained in the Bible, helps us remember what Jesus taught, and empowers us to do the will of God.

 

 The Holy Spirit also helps us develop a passion for the well being of others, even though they may not merit it. God first demonstrated this type of love for us when He sent His son to die for us on the cross. He did this while we were sinners and did not deserve such favor. When the Spirit fills our hearts with divine love, we desire the good of others even if they are not related to us, are unresponsive and unworthy. The unconditional desire to do good leads us to respect others, and thus eliminates any desire to steal, lie, envy, covet, or commit murder. In essence, we will keep God's commandments. The Bible tells us that we know a true Christian by his/her ability to show unconditional love to another just because of the preciousness of that person. Worldly people cannot experience the Holy Spirit because they do not know Christ. The Spirit is a gift to those who know and accept Christ in their lives and have surrendered all to Him.

 

 For the Holy Spirit to work actively in our lives, we must have faith and glorify God. As we yield to the Spirit of truth, we gain the ability to follow God’s words and enjoy a deeper relationship with Him. This is what Christ intended when He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort and strengthen us. Where God's Spirit is present and working, there will always be love.

 

Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for your gracious love for us. Help us to mature in your love so that our hearts may be filled with the desire to do good always. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

 

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