Extravagant Love
Eph 4:29 Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
30 Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.
31-32 Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Ephesians 5
Wake Up from Your Sleep
5 1-2 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
It has long bothered me how the everyday behavior of some Christians has morphed into something indistinguishable from the world. “Each word is a gift,” reminds us that we should do nothing to break God’s heart, but instead our words and actions should reflect His great love and mercy.
Paul says to imitate God’s conduct by keeping company with Him. Watch what He does and do the same. Is Paul calling for perfection? Not at all. Instead, Paul is bringing to our attention that when we spend time with God we become transformed by His presence, by His influence, and by His character.
May we today and every day reflect the love, grace and mercy of God in everything we do. Take the name of Jesus with you and share Him with all you meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Love of God
Hebrews 10:19-25 (NIV) 19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another —and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Today is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
As we begin another day, let’s consider the great sacrifice Jesus made for us. In the Old Testament, sin was atoned for by the blood sacrifice of animals. But once was never enough. So Jesus came to be the perfect sacrifice, once for all, and it is through his blood we are saved.
Can there ever be a greater love than the love of God? I am reminded of the song “The Love of God.”
1 The love of God is greater far
than tongue or pen can ever tell;
it goes beyond the highest star,
and reaches to the lowest hell;
the guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
and pardoned from his sin.
Refrain:
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure:
the saints’ and angels’ song!
May we today and every day be thankful for the sacrifice of Jesus, and may we live according to the example set by Him.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In or out of the Spirit
Galatians 5:19 (MSG) 21 It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage;, frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
Did any of you know this is in the Bible? And, when was the last time you heard the phrase “crucify the flesh.” To crucify the flesh means to nail to the cross that part of us that is anathema to Jesus. If we can see ourselves in Gal 5 and not want to crucify our flesh, then something is wrong!
My goal in writing these devotionals is to encourage others and to glorify God. But sometimes we have to take a hard look at ourselves and cut away any part that would dishonor God. How else can we grow into intentional disciples?
So, I invite any and all who see even a part of themselves in Paul’s description to bow before a holy God and join me in this prayer:
“Father God, You are holy,, holy, holy and I am truly undone when You show me who I am. Forgive me, dear Lord, and cleanse me of all unrighteousness. And whatever my state, physical or mental, I say to You “Here I Am, Lord, I will go, Lord. Equip me, strengthen me, and show me the way. And I will give You all of the glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
May we spend at least a part of every day reflecting on who You are, and who we are in You.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Joy in the Midst of Trials
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” – James 1:2
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” – Psalm 28:7
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
No one enjoys going through trials but ever since sin entered the world, bad things happen, even to good people. Jesus said in Matthew 5 :45 the rain falls on the just and the unjust. So rather than grumble and complain (my go to response) what if we choose to respond in joy?
Joy is not just a reaction to good times. Remember, joy is a fruit of the Spirit The more we are molded into His image, the more we reflect Him in all we do. And do you know what shapes us? Fire. That’s right, the Potter carefully molds the clay and then He places it in an oven where the vessel is hardened into the shape it was supposed to be all along.
Do you think the Hebrew boys emerged from the fiery furnace the same as when they entered? They may have looked the same, but no one has an encounter with the living God and remains the same. Even the king was changed, and he was seemingly just an onlooker.
May I encourage you today to ask God what you are supposed to be learning, and I hope you will allow the joy of the Lord to become your strength. And then, get excited to see what God is doing!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit Amen
The Light of the World
Proverbs 20:27 27 The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.
Psalms 27:1 1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
John 1:4-5 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 8:12 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
The light of the world—only Jesus fits that description. Sometimes we want the darkness. When we are trying to sleep, darkness serves to shut everything out so we can rest. When we are stargazing, the darker it is the more stars we can see. Did you know there are some areas in the U.S. where there are laws limiting light pollution?
The first time we travelled to the Grand Canyon we had no idea that the night sky would rival the view we had seen during the day. But I stepped outside of the travel trailer and almost fell to the ground in worship and awe. I had never seen so many stars and I immediately proclaimed, “Now I know what Abraham saw.”
The light that emanates from Jesus is brighter than any natural or artificial light. And His light shines in each of us. Isn’t that amazing? When we accept the salvation only Jesus can give, then we are filled with His light and we no longer want anything to do with the darkness.
May we thank God today and every day for the light that is in Jesus, and may we let our light shine before others as we share Him with all we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 