Today’s Key Scripture  

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.”

— Mark 12:30

 

Christ’s love for us was so strong that He sacrificed His life for us in advance, knowing that we would be far from perfect: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

When we love God in response to His amazing love for us, everything changes. What and how we give back to Him are only partial expressions of our love. We also love Him through our worship, dedication, service, obedience, and relationships—in everything. Our love should be evident in everything we do.

The apostle Paul wrote, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13, niv). When you grasp the dimension of His love, your life will be changed forever!

The apostle, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

In the presence of such great love, how can you help from being touched and overwhelmed? Truly, the love of Christ constrains you to give Him your very best.

The Father is never content with leftovers. Throughout Scripture, He requires the first and best. He calls for the surrender of your will to His will. Today, He demands no less!

 

A Prayer for Today

Father, thank You for loving me enough to send Your only begotten Son to take all my sins upon Him, to die on my behalf, and to rise up from the grave in victory over all sin and death. I’m so grateful You did all this, though I was totally unworthy. Thank You for intervening in my life and beckoning me to have a personal relationship with You. I am eternally grateful for the blessings You’ve given me and my loved ones. Help me to use those blessings to bless others. And may I live a life of pure joy as I see You at work through everything You do today. I pray all these things in Jesus’ name, amen.

 

*All Scripture references are NKJV unless otherwise noted.