TSP DAILY DEVOTIONAL
THE TEMPLATE
1st FEBRUARY 2020
Dr. Phil Ransom-Bello
KEY SCRIPTURE/MEMORY VERSE: Romans 5:8 (MSG)
_”But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him”.
A man falls in love and goes to his father to tell him about her and get his blessing to pursue a relationship with her. His father asks him a question;
“If you were told that this lady you love would never love you back, would never be kind to you regardless of what you do. Would you still love her or be willing to invest all your resources in this relationship?
God must have thought about this question before he gave us Jesus and He had to have been able to answer the question. Zephaniah 3:17 makes us see that He was confident in the ability of His love to win us over and so He rested in His love.
And Jesus didn’t just say yes, He came and died without any assurance of our loving Him back. What an investment!
This is the God kind of love. It didn’t begin when we decided to receive Christ but this love was established long before we decided to receive Him.
And this kind of love is the template for all who have received Christ to express in return.
Someone is asking, “Is this possible? How can I operate from this template?”
Especially because there is almost always a conflict between what we want and what love demands from us but the advantage of being a believer is that we are empowered to not just know what love demands from us but we are empowered to do.
In 2 Corinthians 13:14, we see that it’s the Holy Spirit’s place to continually remind us of the Love and Grace of God.
He doesn’t just tell us but He empowers us to fulfill love’s requirement.
Love has already been poured lavishly in our hearts by the giving of the Holy Spirit to us. (Romans 5:5).
We only need to yield to the Spirit irrespective of how His leading may be uncomfortable or go against popular opinion or our ego.
Do you realize that it’s actually easier to follow His leading? Think about it. As a believer, you have a new nature now and when you received Christ, in essence, you received the goodness and the love of God. You are rich in love so He isn’t leading you against your nature rather He is helping you express your nature.
Christ has given us the template for love. Follow it.
REFLECTION
Where do you need to apply Love’s template today?
DECLARATION
I am born of God.
In Christ, I have received the love of God.
I am irrevocably loved by God.
I live out the love I have received by the Holy Spirit.
The love I express does not seek it’s own interest.
Love lives here!
Today, I am yielded to dispense the love of God in line with His template.
By the knowledge of the love of God, I am confident to experience all that God has given me in Christ.
I am blessed!
HEARING BY THE WORD
(Recommended Listening)
Listen to LOVE ~ The Series by The StandPoint Church on #SoundCloud
