All tagged love

What am I in Life and Faith Without Love?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Life Without Love

Do we know what love is, and do we understand the depth to which it should be experienced and applied to those around us? This is our contemplation today, and let’s ask ourselves if we are truly showing others the love of God and Jesus Christ as it is described in scripture and shown to us through Jesus Christ. But before we can know if we are showing it, or fully giving it, we must first know what love looks like so that we can recognize it in our lives. Scripture helps us to recognize it by describing its attributes…

The Spontaneous Love of God

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Love and God

Love is many things, but more than just these things it is spontaneous.  We don't set out to love someone, it just happens, and if that spontaneity isn't present then it isn't love. How do we feel towards and approach God? Is it always in love, or out of need? Paul tells us in First Corinthians about the attributes of love. As he expounds on love he isn't telling us so much about how to love but is describing to us what love is... if you feel these things and see these things, then you are in love. But, if they must be developed or contrived, then you are experiencing something else which has no strong anchorage against the storms of life... nor safe harbor for our loving faith.

Are we Strong Enough to Submit?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Submitting to God

We live in a culture that honors self-assuredness and strength in pursuit of fame and fortune over all else, but God, on the other hand, places meekness and humility above pride and strength. When it comes to real strength, He is looking for how it relates to our faith and spiritual character alone. If we want to have what is really valuable in life, and to live our lives abundantly, then we need to hand ourselves over to God. This is a humbling thing, but not a weak one. To yield ourselves totally to the Lord requires great strength of character and faith. It requires us to trust in Him completely and without question… it redefines meekness as men are inclined to think of it.

Are We Lost in a Case of the “I Wants”

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Worldly Wants

Do we want to be great men and women of faith? Is our goal to be like Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, or Martin Luther King? Is working quietly in the trenches of faith unappealing to us? Did the first sentence of your prayer this morning contain "give me", "make me", or "let me?" Well, God sees no need for you to be great in the world unless it just so happens that by so doing it meets a necessity of His will. As a matter of fact, some of the biggest disappointments in the Bible have been great people (like Nebuchadnezzar and Delilah) but men like David became great despite themselves because God needed them for that purpose or as an example. Often (also like David) they were great without having sought greatness.

Rushing to Meet Jesus

Richard Forbes
Christian , God’s Abundance , Daily Devotional, Reckless Love

When was the last time that you instantly dropped everything you were doing and rushed to see something, or someone without consideration for what you were leaving behind? Have you ever abandoned everything you owned to pursue a dream, or to experience hope in something? How about your faith? After the resurrection of Jesus, He appeared to Peter and several others while they were fishing. He yelled out to them to cast their net on the right side of the boat and when they did this their nets were filled with fish. They really didn't know it was Jesus who had instructed them, but when the one He loved said it was Him, Peter immediately dressed, threw himself into the sea, and swam to meet him.

Meeting Jesus on the Street

Richard Forbes
Encountering Jesus, Christian , Daily Devotion

This morning, I have been mulling over the fact that we should always put Jesus ahead of our own wants and self-interests. My mind has wandered to those times when I have placed my name first and didn't allow Him to take the lead in my life... or had ignored Him all together. Jesus has been declared by God Himself to be the name above all names, and yet sometimes we take it upon ourselves to subvert His rule and pursue our own interests as if we hold a higher office than He does. We don't do this so much as a coup d'état but we do it in answer to our own pride and selfishness. Does the thought of this cause our faces to flush with embarrassment and shame?

Giving All, Receiving All, and the Love of God

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, God’s Blessing of Love

Let's consider this morning how completely God gave of Himself that we should find forgiveness for our sins and everlasting life with Him. Then, let's ask ourselves if we are willing to give ourselves to Him just as completely and with the same total emersion in love. Are we loving Him and our neighbors as we should or has the world formed a hard shell around this ability in us, and has Satan convinced us that in this hardened form it has become a treasure… a pearl?

Lord, Why Do You Love Me?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Why God Loves Us

I often talk about how I feel regarding Jesus and my love for God, but today I am considering the love God has for us, and the reason for the love He feels for us. We know very well that God loves us, and the Bible is filled with scripture to that effect. It could very well be considered a love story between God and man. Do we approach our relationship with this in mind?

Prayer: For Them that Suffer as We Do

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Praying from Pain and Suffering

I was lifted up by the message and scripture of my devotional reading today. The scripture reading that blessed me so immensely was from 2nd Corinthians. And, as I read this scripture, the words of my devotional reading this morning echoed in them. They spoke to me of Jesus being the pattern of prayer, selfless, and the great intercessor who stands at the right hand of God... In this I could see a lesson in how we should all pray for others… it was a lesson in love, and in comforting others.

Never Forsaken

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Love of God

God never forsakes us. This is our contemplation this morning. Men will turn their backs on kings, and one another, but God never forsakes us, His People. We are asked to love Him with all our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength, because this is how He loves us, but do we understand and believe this to be absolutely true? Do we love our neighbors as we love ourselves? We are His people, and His inheritance, and as such we are priceless in His eyes.

Praying for Our Neighbors and our Countrymen

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Praying for our Countrymen

The 2024 presidential election in the United States is over for another four years, and a new president has been elected, but this doesn’t mean that that our nation is at ease. Now begins the big job of healing that facilitates making peace within ourselves, and loving one another. Are we praying for our neighbors and enemies? Do we realize how important praying for them is when it comes to restoring tranquility, calm, and order to our country? Let’s think on this today, and pray as we should for one another.

Obedience and Love

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Love or Obedience

Let’s consider the topic of "obeying God out of love" this morning. Love is a powerful emotion and leads us to our greatest heights. But unfortunately, when spurned, it has also causes some of our greatest pains, and failures as well. Fortunately, God never rejects our love or fails to recognize our obedience to His Word that flows from it. He rewards us, just as those of us who are in love do with one another; each longing to fulfill the other's desires, even if doing so comes at the expense of our own comfort or desire.

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