Morning by Morning, February 14 - "Above all, ... Love"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day. Put Your thoughts in my mind to have the mind of Christ, put Your desires in my heart to have the Father heart of God, put Your steps before for me to walk out my journey this day by the leading of Your Holy Spirit. ...
"Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8).
Above all, love.
Love is a great key of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 16:19). Loving God and loving one another are the "greatest commandments," and the fulfillment of "all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40). Love is at the heart of the Father heart of God, and love is to be at our heart for You and for one another. "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:7-8).
Our journey of faith through all the challenges of this broken and fallen world is to learn to love and conform us into the image of Your love. Through all we face with every injustice we see, every wrong we endure, every resistance we encounter to the ways of God in our world, You're teaching us and empowering us to overcome in the power of Your grace and grow in the power and nature of Your love. In all the ways we could never live out in our own human will, human strength or even human desire, You rise up by Your Spirit within us to love through us no matter what comes against us, so that by the power of Your grace we can even obey Your command to "love (our) enemies, do good to those who hate (us), bless those who curse (us), pray for those who abuse (us)" (Luke 6:27-28). We can't do anything that apart from You (John 15:5). But I praise You that we are never apart from You and Your Spirit is always within us to love through us in Your resurrection power of Your never failing love (Matthew 28:20; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 13:7).
Surrendering to You in obedience to Your truth, yielding to Your heart, Your nature, and Your will, makes us more like You -- more like the One who is Love. When we "have purified (our) souls by (our) obedience to the truth (we) have genuine mutual love (and) love one another deeply from the heart" (1 Peter 1:22).
On this day when the world celebrates love, I first open my heart to You -- to the One who first loved me. "We love because (You) first loved us" (1 John 4:19). As I do, Your love flows in Your power through me. So keep teaching me to love, empowering me to love, to learn to love "deeply from (my) heart" just as You love me deeply from Your heart. In Jesus' name I Pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, may you be filled with the love of God, learning to love and growing in love, to allow the love of God to flow powerfully through you, loving deeply from the heart, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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