Weekly Devo

Only evil thinking creates evil things (Matthew 12:34-37). Such actions bar us from communion with God (Psalms 15:1-3). Those who hated Jesus were filled with wicked thoughts about Him, and they had no issue communicating that with others (Matthew 11:19). They even voiced such evil conceptions about John the Baptist (Matthew 11:18). That, too, is a sin because we are not to be talebearers (Leviticus 19:16). People who think of evil and act on that evil; also condone others who do that same thing (Romans 1:29-31). As New Testament Christians, we have no room in our minds for such thoughts. We are to be thinking about true, noble, pure, holy, commendable, and correct things, to name a few (Philippians 4:8). These thoughts enable us to forgive like Joseph, love like Mary and Martha and live like Paul (Genesis 45:1-15; John 11:20-22, 32; Philippians 1:21). Those are just some of the characteristics of a love that thinks no evil. You see, being full of such thoughts and actions prevents us ...

         The world is provoked for different reasons. Anything from God’s word to good deeds for others to envy can cause wrath to be poured out (Jonah 3:10-4:1; Luke 15:20-28; Genesis 30:1, 2). What should provoke a New Testament Christian is quite different. Things like idol worship, inadequate treatment of others, turning from God, and dishonoring the house of God should cause indignation to swell up inside us (Exodus 32:19-22: 1 Samuel 20:33, 34; Matthew 21:12, 13; Acts 17:16, 17). This type of anger is justified (Mark 3:1-5). However, when this righteous indignation sets in, we will not forget who we are. We must be slow to anger (Nahum 1:3). It should not set in fast (Titus 1:7; Ephesians 4:6). We should be seeking to stir up love and good works no matter what (Hebrews 10:24, 25; 1 Corinthians 9:1, 2). We love the Lord so much it should bother us when He and His are mistreated. We need to handle things right and make sure we are never at fault for mistreat...

       Love is not a prideful thing. Love is only sustained through humility. You must be willing to serve and sacrifice for others to love appropriately. The world, full of pride, does not do that (1 John 2:16). When we love the world, we fill ourselves with such pride that humility leaves us, therefore loving is nonexistent in our lives. The Lord hears the humble and answers the humble (Psalmist 10:17). Jesus, who is love, exemplifies true humble love in His life, death, and resurrection (Philippians 2:6-8). Only when we humble ourselves can we love and serve the way God wants us to. When we humbly love, seen in our service, God exalts us (Luke 23:10-12). Only the humble will love the Lord enough to keep His commands and become His bondservant (1 John 5:2; Galatians 1:10). If we are to have and show the love that God so desires, we have to be humble enough to serve, live like Christ, become a bondservant of God’s and walk away from the world. Love has no room for p...