Topic: Love Looks, and Love Listens [RICK WARREN Devotional 9 November 2023]
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Love Looks, and Love Listens
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
Romans 15:7 (NIV)
What God does for you, he wants you to do for other people.
God accepts you unconditionally. That doesn’t mean he approves of everything you do, but he accepts you, no matter what you’ve done. And God says he wants you to act similarly toward everybody in your life.
One of the ways you demonstrate acceptance to someone else is to look at them and listen to them. When you look someone in the eye, you’re declaring that they matter to you. The highest form of love is focused attention.
Love looks, and love listens. What about you—do you look and listen? When someone at work drops something off at your desk, do you say anything to them? When somebody serves you at a restaurant or a clerk helps you in a grocery store, do you look them in the eye and say, “Thank you”? It may seem like a small thing. But when you give someone your attention, even for just a moment, you affirm their value as a person and show that you accept them.
The Bible says in Romans 15:1, “We must bear the ‘burden’ of being considerate of the doubts and fears of others” (TLB).
We all have fears and doubts. Acceptance means you listen to others’ fears and doubts. When people have doubts about God, you need to first listen and show that it doesn’t change your love or acceptance. Why? Because this is how God loves us.
When we doubt, God’s love does not change. When we are fearful and unwilling to trust, God still accepts us. This is how he wants us to love other people.
Loving like Jesus means you accept other people the way Jesus accepts you. And when his love flows through you, it’s possible for you to love others unconditionally.
Also Read: Open Heaven 9 November 2023 – WHEN GOD COMMENDS YOU
Talk It Over
- Think about someone who easily irritates you or is hard to love. How does it change your attitude toward that person when you consider how much God loves you and that he has accepted you?
- Why does making eye contact with someone make such a big difference in how that person feels?
- What doubts do you have about God? Do you believe that he accepts you even when you have doubts?
Will you follow Jesus today?
God proved his goodness through his Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 CSB).
Are you ready to trust God to fulfill his promise of eternal life? If so, pray this simple prayer: “Dear God, I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I confess I have sinned, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died to take away my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
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