TSP DAILY DEVOTIONAL
NOTHING WITHOUT LOVE
25th August 2020
Dr. Phil Ransom-Bello
KEY SCRIPTURE/MEMORY VERSE: 1 Corinthians 13:1-2(NKJV)
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
I found out that often, many of the people who treat others poorly, say men who beat their wives, don’t really love themselves. It is very difficult for you to beat your wife if you love yourself.
People who are secure in themselves don’t have a problem with giving love.
That is to say, If I love you as a believer, it is not a function of who you are.
So, your love or your person or whatever you represent does not instigate or trigger my expression of love. I’m loving you because of who I am.
If you see people who don’t find it easy to love, those people are fighting with themselves. It’s the truth!
Anybody who doesn’t find it easy to love is fighting with himself/herself. Just beating himself/herself.
And you know, you can be smiling, look all pretty or handsome but be fighting with yourself.
And this is what I think it is- when you are fighting with yourself, anyone who comes into your space will begin to experience what you’ve been experiencing before the person came.
Let’s make it practical, if you called a person to come to you, he or she gets drawn into your cologne or fragrance, if you were sweating, they get to perceive that too. Now, imagine you were physically fighting yourself i.e you were turning around, hitting yourself and things around you, when that person comes into your space, they’ll get caught in the line of fire too.
So if you are finding it difficult to love, it’s a sign that you are fighting with yourself but if you are loving, when someone comes into your space, he/she receives, gets touched by your love.
See what our text says in 1 Corinthians 13:1 and I hope you know this is who you are as a believer when you don’t express love because an unbeliever doesn’t speak in tongues so that verse is talking about you.
So if you come looking all nice, great, holy, spiritual and sanctified and you don’t have love, scripture tells us clearly that YOU ARE NOTHING.
Friends, when you don’t understand that you have been loved and live from that place of love, you reduce your identity to nothing.
REFLECTION
Do I really love myself just as God has loved me or am I fighting with myself?
DECLARATION
-I believe in the good news of the gospel. That in the giving of Jesus, I am now a beneficiary of God’s grace.
-The gospel is the grace of God. I am thankful for the grace of God.
-I have come into a progressive revelation of all that the grace of God reveals.
-The cross is the proof of God’s love for me.
-Because I have received God’s love, I can love myself.
-I am secure in my identity as a believer so my love is not a function of others. I love because of who I am.
-My love is not influenced by triggers or what a person does or represent.
-I am not in a war with myself. I have received love.
-I find it easy to love. Anyone who comes into my space is touched by and receives the same love of God I have received not hurt or hate.
-Love is my identity so I express it. I refuse to reduce my identity to nothing.
-I treat everyone well and not poorly.
HEARING BY THE WORD
(Recommended Listening)
Listen to 5.0 Shades Of Grace >> Dr. Phil by The StandPoint Church on #SoundCloud
