Daily Devotional for Monday, July 11

He Gave Himself for Us

The passage for today admonishes you to be a follower of God and walk in love as Jesus Christ loved you and gave Himself for you. The Bible abounds with passages which admonish you to love like Jesus (John 13:34, 15:12; 1 John 3:11, 16). Love is the greatest commandment in the Bible—to love God and to love others (Matthew 22:36-40), and you are never more Christlike than when you love. 

So how well are you doing in loving others in selfless, sacrificial love as Jesus loves you? I will be the first to admit, not very well. I tend to be selfish rather than selfless. I more often store up on personal luxuries and look out for number one instead of sacrificing to help others. I am convicted by John’s words: “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (1 John 3:17). 

Do you excuse your lack of love when you see a brother or sister in need by saying, “They need to get a job and make their own way in life”? Are you afraid to give to others thinking they might waste your money or that you might not have enough to provide for yourself? Such excuses manifest your lack of trust in the Lord. You are not told to show people love by helping them on your terms. You are told straightforwardly to love as Christ loved you and to help people in need.

Thought: Show people Christlike love. 

Phillip Miller