Ephesians 5:2 & Romans 12:10
One of my favorite verses is 1 John 4:19 - “We love because He first loved us.” 7 words. 1 BIG meaning. We have the opportunity to love others because we were first loved by Christ. We can love selflessly, honestly, without conditions - because we have seen Jesus Himself do that for us.
Something I ask myself often is “are my actions reflecting Christ?” There are lots of freedoms we have. There are lots of things that we can do as Christians, and it is left to personal conviction. Alcohol that some drink, music others listen to, TV shows/movies that are watched, what words are said, how our kids are raised; the list goes on! Sometimes it isn’t always black and white. We read God’s Word and rely on the Holy Spirit to convict us. Again, I ask myself the question: is this making me more like Jesus?
The amazing thing about all of this, is that although we may feel we have the right to do something, if it causes somebody else to stumble, we shouldn’t do it out of love. This takes an immense amount of humility and selflessness. We ask: it doesn’t negatively affect me, so why does it matter? Example: you have a glass of wine at dinner with your friends. Your friend is a recovering alcoholic. Although they are not drinking, you having a glass of wine is a temptation for them. Maybe the movies you watch have cursing and violence, but you’re telling your son he can’t watch them because of the cursing and violence. Not only do we come off as hypocrites, but we also lack the ability to lay down our liberties to love.
Ephesians 5:2 urges us to walk in the way of love. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. It is every part of our life! Every decision, every word spoken, every text sent, every song listened to and every drink drank; when we walk in true love, we walk like Jesus. Romans 12:10 continues to remind us to be devoted to one another and honor one another before yourselves. Another verse that comes to mind is 1 Corinthians 10:23 “You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.” I actually like the NLT version because it says, “I am allowed to do anything.” Sure, that is true. But not all things are good. Not all things portray the love and light of Jesus. Not all things point people to the Gospel. What are you willing to lay down?
Something I ask myself often is “are my actions reflecting Christ?” There are lots of freedoms we have. There are lots of things that we can do as Christians, and it is left to personal conviction. Alcohol that some drink, music others listen to, TV shows/movies that are watched, what words are said, how our kids are raised; the list goes on! Sometimes it isn’t always black and white. We read God’s Word and rely on the Holy Spirit to convict us. Again, I ask myself the question: is this making me more like Jesus?
The amazing thing about all of this, is that although we may feel we have the right to do something, if it causes somebody else to stumble, we shouldn’t do it out of love. This takes an immense amount of humility and selflessness. We ask: it doesn’t negatively affect me, so why does it matter? Example: you have a glass of wine at dinner with your friends. Your friend is a recovering alcoholic. Although they are not drinking, you having a glass of wine is a temptation for them. Maybe the movies you watch have cursing and violence, but you’re telling your son he can’t watch them because of the cursing and violence. Not only do we come off as hypocrites, but we also lack the ability to lay down our liberties to love.
Ephesians 5:2 urges us to walk in the way of love. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. It is every part of our life! Every decision, every word spoken, every text sent, every song listened to and every drink drank; when we walk in true love, we walk like Jesus. Romans 12:10 continues to remind us to be devoted to one another and honor one another before yourselves. Another verse that comes to mind is 1 Corinthians 10:23 “You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.” I actually like the NLT version because it says, “I am allowed to do anything.” Sure, that is true. But not all things are good. Not all things portray the love and light of Jesus. Not all things point people to the Gospel. What are you willing to lay down?
Posted in Devotional