THE LOVE TEST
February 6, 2020 Blog Admin
In Devotionals

TSP DAILY DEVOTIONAL
THE LOVE TEST
6th February 2020
Dr. Phil Ransom-Bello

KEY SCRIPTURE/MEMORY VERSE: Romans 5:7,8 (NLT)
Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Have you ever been in close proximity with someone and you said to yourself, “If this person was someone else, I would have done more for him or gone the extra mile”
Have you said that to yourself before?

In our text today, it’s saying that it’s rare for one to die for a righteous man. At the most, someone might be willing to die for an especially good or noble man.
But it doesn’t stop there, in the next verse, it paints the picture of a higher reality. It says, “But God….”

You see, yesterday, we learned that as a believer, you cannot express love by yourself. In some way, I realize that it’s easy to take this profound lesson for granted but I want you to see that the Love you give is not a love that starts from you. The Love you give is a love you received.

If you understand this, you will know that you cannot love because you are from your family background or because it is the way you were raised.

If Jesus’ love is not based on our response or performance towards Him, that’s the way your love ought to be.
Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

I hope you know that Jesus died for people who may never even accept Him.
Do you realize He essentially loved knowing that some people would never choose Him or come to the knowledge of the gift of grace He is offering?

I’ve got a question for you, if I told you that this person you want to love will never love you back, are you going to love? In fact, the more you love the person, the more he or she would use it against you.

But Jesus did. And not just that, what’s more remarkable is that Jesus loved people who at the time didn’t even have the capacity to love Him back.
What most of us would do is put our love on pause until the person is ready to receive our love. Isn’t it?

Guess what? That’s no longer our conversation. It’s important that you learn how to love in spite of a negative response.
That’s the God-kind of love. That’s love beyond knowledge(Ephesians 3:15), beyond inclination or feeling because there are times when loving doesn’t feel right.

The love of God did not begin when we decided to receive Christ. It began way before!

Can I tell you that when you respond to people in the negative way they’ve acted towards you, you have reduced yourself to their level?

You ought to put yourself on the journey to loving better as the Spirit of Christ enables you (Romans 5:5).

REFLECTION
Is there a love test in my life now that I’m supposed to pass? Am I going to love even when love doesn’t feel right? Think about it.

DECLARATION
-I am loved by God
-I submit to the power of God’s love that I have received to cause me to walk in His love.
-I have the ability to love like Him. I love when it doesn’t feel right.
– My love is not conditional, my love is consistent regardless of the recipient.
– By the help of God’s Spirit, I pass the love test.
– This is my new normal.
-Today, testimonies abound for me because the Gospel works!
-I am blessed!

HEARING BY THE WORD
(Recommended Listening)

Listen to LOVE ~ The Series 1 >> Dr. Phil by The StandPoint Church on #SoundCloud