Topic: REFLECTING ON THE RESTORING POWER OF GOD’S LOVE [Church of God Mission International] Above Only Daily Devotional 9 December 2021
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ABOVE ONLY DEVOTIONAL
BY: ARCHBISHOP M. E. BENSON IDAHOSA
THURSDAY DECEMBER, 9
REFLECTING ON THE RESTORING POWER OF GOD’S LOVE
John 3:17, John 20:21 (NIV), 2Corinthians 5:18-19 (NIV) “God did not send his Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Savior and rescue it! Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
God desires to draw every human being to Himself. What God uses to achieve this is His love, (Jer.31:3). This is why He sent Jesus to suffer and die on the Cross. Jesus said, “and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me,” (John 12:32). Because of what Adam did, man died and became separated from God because of sin, but on the Cross, Jesus revealed the love of God and paid the price for all men to be forgiven, free from sin and reconciled back to God forever.
Right now, there is absolutely no reason why any human being should be far away from God. What Jesus has done supersedes what Adam did. Jesus has provided victory over sin and everything that could ever try to separate us from God. Until people really know about this wonderful thing Jesus has done for them, they will keep running away from God. God does not want us or anyone to ever be ignorant of His love or be separated from Him. The devil on the other hand wants people to remain unaware of God’s love so they can remain far and separated from God.
Also Read: Open Heaven 9 December 2021 –Topic: MAINTAIN YOUR IDENTITY IN GOD
The farther people are from God, the more the devil can steal, kill and destroy their lives. As ministers of reconciliation, our major duty is to continually reflect God’s love with our words and actions and to continually give people hope and restore them back to God. Instead of condemning Zacchaeus (Luke 19:5-10) and the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:1-11), Jesus restored them by showing them God’s love. God’s love does not condone sin; rather, it delivers us from the shackles of sin. No soul that genuinely understands God’s love will desire to continue in sin. Let your message and your lifestyle reflect the restoring power of God’s love.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank you for the abundant love that you have shown me in Christ. Use me to restore others with your love.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR READING PLAN
Joel 1:1-3:21, Revelation 1:1-20, Psalm 128:1-6, Proverbs 29:18
