“Our Daily Bread”   

http://odb.org/2012/12/18/opened-ears/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht

Ephesians 4:1-2… I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,  (NKJV)

If we could only give one another the same love that many of us have for our pets…  I had two dogs growing up; and it has been years since I have been around dogs… But I see posts all the time on Facebook, with pictures about dogs and cats; and how much love we as humans have for our animals…

My daughter has a dog she got for my 2 grand-kids; and what joy this little year old dog brings into our lives…

I have never seen such a happy little dog as little “Georgie Girl”…  No matter who she meets, you can see love pouring out of her little heart…  And those she knows…well, she literally jumps twice her height in excitement, when they walk into the house…  Her tail wags a mile a minute, and she would lick you to death if she was allowed…

This is the kind of unconditional love that Christ has for us; and the kind of love we as Christians should have for EVERYONE  around us…  The Apostle Paul writes about the love of Christ, in the following passage…

Ephesians 3:17-19…  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (NKJV)

The Apostle Paul urges the Ephesians to be filled with (totally controlled by) the Holy Spirit, in…Ephesians 5:18-20…   And when we as Christians, humble ourselves to allow the Holy Spirit to direct our every step…we too can be “filled with all the fullness of God”…   When our hearts are filled with the love of Christ, there will be no room for hate, or envy, or jealousy…or any of the other sins of the flesh, which Satan will use to trap us in his web of sin…

By turning to Christ as a Christian, and away from any sins (as we confess and repent of them…1 John 1:9), we can “know the love of Christ which passes knowledge”…  This love, like the Apostle Paul writes… will indeed exceed our mortal capacity for love; because this love is a supernatural love that the Holy Spirit will provide to the Spirit filled Christian…  This God given love is so powerful, that we should even be able to tell someone who is screaming in our face with rage that we love them, if we are allowing the Holy Spirit to help us…

Jesus Himself tells us to love our enemies, in…Matthew 5:43-44… “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”  (NKJV)

How about if we as Christians do our best in the next week before Christmas, to “Think Jesus”, as I call it…and allow nothing to come out of our mouths but kind words, along with actions of love…  Say hello to strangers…  Hold the door for others, especially the elderly… Call that friend or relative we have neglected to speak with, for whatever reason…

Heck, why should we stop showing love for others at Christmas ??  Why not make a New Years resolution to continue living like the Lord wants His children to live…  What comes out of our mouth comes from our heart, and defines who we are in Christ…  Jesus tells us this, in…Matthew 15:18…  

No one teaches us about how we as Christians should speak, any better than the Apostle Paul, in…Ephesians 4:29…  Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.  (NKJV)

My personal motto on speech is…“If you can’t say something nice…don’t say anything at all”…  Let’s be the lights of the world that Christ calls His children to be, in…Matthew 5:16… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  (NKJV)

Heavenly Father, help all of Your children to humble themselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit; and with their heart filled with the love of Christ, urge them to be beacons of light for You in this lost and dying world around us…  I pray for this “love of Christ which passes knowledge”, for all of Your children…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills