My Tender-hearted Lord, the God-kind of love is often described as being patient and kind. Containing patience because You have to deal with people like me who are flawed and imperfect. And, containing kindness because it is filled with Your tenderness and mercy. The God-kind of love becomes clear when I recognize that Your Father sent You to bridge a gap that I never could. And, in Your obedience and love, gave up Your life so that mine could be saved. Then You sent the Holy Spirit to … fill my life with love for You and others … and, enabled me to live in Your power. I appreciate Your standing with me through my ups and downs reaffirming the depth of Your love for me. No matter what happens to me or where I find myself, I can never escape Your watchful eyes and concern for my well-being. I must never let my suffering separate me from You and, instead, focus all my energy on staying close to You.
You have explained that the fruit of the Spirit contains the very essence of who You are. When I allow the Holy Spirit to work in my life, it produces the same traits I so admire in You and motivates me to emulate them. As I am joined to You, I learn obedience and how to surrender control of my life. In order to become more Christ-like, I must grow in my knowledge of You, love You more deeply and devote myself to service to You and others. By becoming an emulator of Your love, I can fulfill my calling and the purpose for which You brought me into the world. When I think of Your love, I see how wide it is (covering every aspect of my life) … how long it is (lasting forever) … how high it is (rising up for every occasion) … reaching into the depths of my discouragement and despair. When I feel shut out and isolated, I must not forget that I am never out of Your sight or too far away to be touched by Your love.
It is hard for me to envision exactly what Your love holds for me going forward. However, what I do know is this … it will be great! Your love allows You to do nothing less than Your very best to meet my needs and reward me for becoming a good and faithful servant. In response, my actions toward You and others should be motivated by a God-kind of love. Because You have forgiven much, I must forgive much … because You have given much, I must be willing to give generously … and, because You are selfless, I must become humble and reject any semblance of pride. Help me understand that in order to tap into Your knowledge, I must tap into You. Sincere love yearns for closeness … closeness for intimacy … and, intimacy for the deepest kind of sharing. I have never known this kind of love before, but I am basking in it now. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.