Monthly Archives: February 2017

True Love?

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“ We love because he first loved us. ”

 -John 4:19

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In today’s time, the word love can be used rather lightly. People talk about loving tacos. Or, they fall in and out of love at the drop of a hat. But, what is real love and why do we love? John 4:19 NIV says “ We love because he first loved us. ” God showed us the perfect example of true love. Romans 5:8 NLT says, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” We didn’t deserve His love. We didn’t even know how to love Him. But, His love was bigger than that. “ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” – 1 John 4:9-12 NIV These verses tell us that God’s love is made complete when we love others. They also encourage us to love others as God loved us. He loved us beyond our flawed and sinful nature.  He loved us just as we were. The lyrics of a song by Jason Gray say, “Your love is making me believe And it’s changing me You love me as I am Not as I should be With a love that conquers shame.” Knowing God’s love changes us. It gives us a new ability to love others; not in a superficial and flighty way, but in a deep and lasting way.  His love shows us that love is not merely a feeling that comes and goes, but rather a resolve to continue loving.  By laying down His life for us, Jesus Christ showed that real love is not merely loving us just when we are good, but loving us with a steady and constant love.

Love is not affectionate feeling 2

God knows that in our humanity, we are weak, susceptible to making mistakes, and even failing Him. God is omniscient (read Isaiah 46:9-10, 1 John 3:20, and Psalm 139). He already knew every time we would fail Him. Yet, God still sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to earth to die on the cross to redeem us. His love for us is steady and unfaltering. And, that is how we ought to love one another. Furthermore, by making the ultimate sacrifice for us on the cross, Jesus Christ showed us that real love is not merely words, but instead actions (and even sacrifice). 1 John 3:18 reminds us to do the same. “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” -1 John  3:18 NLT

Think about the lyrics to the song, With Every Act of Love by Jason Gray:

“…With every act of love

 Jesus, help us carry You

Alive in us, Your light shines through…

God put a million, million doors in the world

For His love to walk through

One of those doors is you…”

Dear Lord Jesus, please help us to love others in a way that reflects the way You love us. Amen.

El Mejor GPS?

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“Y os restituiré los años que comió la oruga, el saltón, el revoltón y la langosta….”

 -Joel 2:25 RVR 1960 

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En Joel 2, los Israelitas fueron llamados a apartarse de sus caminos, y a volver a Dios. A veces, somos realmente duros sobre nosotros mismos después de escoger mal  o caer en errores. Sentimos que no merecemos ninguna cosa buena. Pero, Dios todavía está trabajando en nosotros y todavía nos ama. Cuando hacemos tantas malas decisiones, que terminamos en el lugar equivocado; Dios todavía está allí con nosotros para ayudarnos a encontrar el camino hacia donde debemos estar. Es como nuestro  GPS. Profundamente en la parte de atrás de nuestras mentes, Él nos está diciendo que encabezamos una cierta dirección. Y, cuando tomamos la dirección equivocada, Él nos rutea para que lleguemos al destino, que El quiere para nosotros. Sólo necesitamos escuchar a Dios y obedecer Sus instrucciones. Además, “cuando tomamos malas decisiones, es difícil creer que algo bueno pueda crecer en nuestras vidas otra vez” (Nortker, 3-Minute Devotionals For Women, p.322) Pero, Romanos 8:28 RVR 1960 dice: “Y sabemos que a los que aman a Dios, todas las cosas les ayudan a bien, esto es, a los que conforme a su propósito son llamados.” Note cómo dice “todas las cosas” y no algunas cosas. Todas las cosas significan no sólo nuestras buenas decisiones, sino también nuestras decisiones malas. Dios sabe todo. Isaías 46:10 RVR 1960 nos recuerda que, Dios sabe “… lo por venir desde el principio …” Esto significa que Él incluso sabe los errores que haremos en el futuro. Cuando cometemos estos errores, Dios todavía nos amará y tendrá planes para nuestras vidas. Dios es más grande que nuestros errores. 


 “Sólo Dios puede [cambiar]
 Un lío a un mensaje,
Una prueba a un testimonio,
Un ensayo a un triunfo,
Una víctima a una victoria,
 Un problema a una oración. “
 -Nishan Panwar

 Sólo necesitamos ser pacientes y dispuestos a seguir Sus instrucciones, cuando Dios está guiando nuestras vidas. Amén.

Reference:

Brigitta Nortker, comp. 3-Minute Devotionals For Women. Uhrichsville: Barbour, Ohio. Print.