Apicontent

Day 23

The grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:14) 

Throughout the New Testament faith and love are repeatedly spoken of together. Both are vitally important and inseparable. 

In his letters, Paul thanks God for these two “exceedingly abundant” expressions of the grace he sees in others. “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints” (Colossians 1:3–4). “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you” (Ephesians 1:15–16). “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren … because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other” (2 Thessalonians 1:3). 

Why is Paul so thankful for the faith and love he sees in others? 

Paul is thankful because faith and love are evidence that God is at work in us. God is the source of our faith and our love. Jesus is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). And God gives us the love that makes our loving possible. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). 

If we think of faith or love as something we are responsible for generating, then we put ourselves back under the law and its impossibility. Faith and love are not a result of our independent efforts; they come from receiving what God freely gives. Faith doesn’t earn us life in Christ; it connects us to that life which Jesus has already earned for us. Our part is not to try to earn God’s love; our part is simply to accept that we are loved. 

Receiving faith or love is like unwrapping a gift. Someone can give us a present, but unless we choose to open the present, we can’t enjoy it. Although it has been bought and paid for, we can’t enjoy its amazing benefits until we unwrap it. 

Faith comes first because belief is what connects us to God so that what He has already done for us becomes real in experience. The Christian life is meant to be lived by faith—by being led by the Spirit (not by the soul). Without faith, we can do our own religious (or non-religious) things, but we completely miss the mark of living in life-giving relationship with God. 

Love comes second because it is the essence of God who we come to know by faith. Believing that we are always welcomed by God gives us the freedom to stop pretending to be somebody we hope will be acceptable and live in the freedom of knowing His acceptance. Knowing we are valued and treasured allows us to treat others as the valued and treasured people they are. 

In this way, through actions based in love, our faith comes alive in expression. Scripture tells us, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). Our belief in God doesn’t just stay silent within us. It works itself out in love. The works that faith does are done in love. Faith reaches up to God; then love reaches out to others. 

God designed our lives to be lived in faith and love. We take a step of faith—of looking to Jesus—with one foot. Then we take a step of love—of compassionate works prompted by faith— with the other. “Faith [works] through love” (Galatians 5:6). 

My brother, my sister, God’s joy in you rises with your acceptance of all He gives. He is so pleased when you accept His “exceedingly abundant” grace. It fills Him with delight when you receive the “faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” 

Ponder for a Moment 

Have you ever tried to work up faith in yourself? What has been the result of that effort? 

Have you ever tried to work up love in yourself? What has been the result of that effort? 

Think of someone (or several people) you can be thankful for today … because of their faith and love. 

Day 24

Then Peter, turning around, saw [John] the disciple whom Jesus loved. (John 21:20) 

If somebody asked you, “Who are you?” what would you say? How would you describe yourself? 

You might answer by talking about your job, your possessions, your children, the color of your skin, or your country of origin. You might define yourself by what other people say about you or by what has happened to you in the past. These types of responses paint a picture of how the world sees us. 

But the Apostle John saw himself differently. He chose to be known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (see John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20). 

John did not describe himself as “a Jewish man from Galilee,” nor as “a fisherman.” He did not even call himself “a follower of Jesus” or “the disciple who loved Jesus.” John called himself, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” John’s identity was firmly grounded in Jesus’ love for him. 

John knew his identity in Christ, yet all too often we resist ours. We struggle against the love He gives. We wonder, “How could He really care that much about me?” It seems too good to be true. 

Instead, we are tempted to accept the thoughts concocted by Satan, “the father of lies” (John 8:44), and supported by the world around us. Since the fall, Satan has bombarded all of us humans with untrue thoughts and feelings that, if we believe, leave us feeling worthless, rejected, anxious or, on the opposite extreme, smugly self-satisfied and superior to others. Layers of guilt and shame on the one hand, or egotistical pride on the other, obscure our true identity. 

We were made in the image of God. But all too often we reverse God’s original intent and make Him fit the image we have of ourselves. We develop a view of God (often aided by religion) that supports our false view of self. In our minds, we fashion God so that He somehow fits with the lies Satan throws at us. For example, if we condemn ourselves for a certain behavior, we will make up a God who condemns us—even though Scripture tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). 

Oblivious to the truth of who God is, we unwittingly live life guided by visions of a being who exists only in the warped perceptions of our souls. 

Jesus understands the genesis of our darkened minds. He feels the abuse we suffered. He knows the grief, the heartaches, the sorrow, the anxious strivings. He is aware of our family, its dysfunction, and how, from our mother’s womb, we grew to hold false ideas about ourselves, others, and God. 

Jesus took all that upon Himself. He took our sins and unbelief and entered into our fallen state. Yet He stands before the Father, seeing Him as He really is. Jesus knows the bondage and blindness of our fallen minds and He knows “what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1). He knows our Father’s heart and He shares the Father’s heart with us in our darkness. 

As the Spirit brings light to our twisted thinking, we come to a fork in the road. We have a decision to make. Will we stay jailed in our world-based way of thinking or will we embrace the unknown freedom of life God’s way? Will we hang onto our old thought paradigms or will we embrace the new? 

John the Apostle embraced the new. In chapter 13 of his Gospel, it was as if the veil fell from John’s eyes and he saw Jesus’ love for him and all humanity. On the night of the last supper, just after Jesus washed his feet, John began to call himself, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” 

Ponder for a Moment 

Can you identify any thoughts you might be telling yourself about yourself that aren’t true? If so, record those thoughts. 

How might your view of self be impacting your view of God? 

“The disciple whom Jesus loves.” Write that name for yourself on something you can see every day … as a reminder of who you really are in Christ. 

Day 25

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 38–39) 

Paul says it clearly. He has lived it and he knows. “[Nothing] shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Nothing can stop God from loving you. But evil can and does work to prevent you from believing you are loved. Over and over again, in various ways, Satan tempts us to think we are unworthy of God’s affection. “You are a disgrace,” Satan whispers into our thoughts. “How could anyone want to be with you?” 

Consider the life of Saul (who became Paul) and the condemning thoughts he must have had to overcome. As a zealous young Pharisee, Saul had participated in stoning Stephen. He had persecuted and put to death believers. If anyone deserved to be cut off from God, it would have been Paul. Think of how Satan must have tempted him to think God couldn’t possibly want him after what he had done. 

Another trick Satan uses to separate us is to make us think that we can earn God’s approval if we just try harder. He tempts: “Obey these rules.” “Try this program.” “Pray more.” “Give more.” “Keep trying.” 

Prior to his experience on the Damascus Road, Saul was living in this trap. He was a self-described “Hebrew of Hebrews … a Pharisee … concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:5). Saul was zealously following the rules of his religion. But no religion can fix the problem of our separation from God. 

Jesus is the only solution. The freeing truth is that He died for our sins. He repaired the gap. He reconciles us to the Father. 

Yet another trick Satan uses is to tempt us to think that when something bad happens, it is proof that God doesn’t care. “If God really loved you,” he whispers, “why didn’t He prevent the cancer?” “The abuse and suffering?” “The child’s premature death?” 

As a believer, Paul was stoned, shipwrecked, beaten, and jailed. He witnessed his friends being persecuted and killed for their faith. Yet, he remained steadfast; he knew tribulation and persecution, famine and sword were not signs that Jesus had abandoned him. In fact, he wrote, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed…. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:16–17). 

My friend, your suffering is not a sign that God is unhappy with you. Your afflictions are not evidence that God has abandoned you. Rather, God uses the hard times to draw you to Him so you can come to know and trust Him in deeper ways. Through the trials, He is working His glory—His nature—into you. 

Falsely believing that we can be separated from God causes us to act like it. If we don’t recognize God’s constant lovingkindness toward us, we will live life trying to get back into His favor. Instead of living from the foundation of knowing we are loved and valued, we will live struggling to earn love and value. 

It isn’t our job to try to keep ourselves in God’s love. In Christ you and I are in His love. Whether you agree with it or not, whether you believe it or not, you are loved by God. Your belief does not change the truth, but believing the truth does change you. 

Your position in Christ is one of inseparable union! Absolutely nothing can come between you and the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Is there something that you think can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ? If so, what does this Scripture speak to you specifically about that something? 

How would you personally sum up today’s Scripture? 

Day 26

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2) 

When we receive Jesus, our spirit is born again. God’s Spirit now lives in our spirit. In union with God, we share in the Trinity’s eternal life. 

But we can still think we are separated … and therefore live like it. Just because we have accepted Jesus does not mean we automatically become the people God intends. 

What is our problem? Once saved into the Trinity’s life of love, why can’t we live the life we see promised in Scripture? Why do we still struggle so much to be “good” Christians? 

Our spirit isn’t the problem; it is born again. Our body isn’t the problem; it simply reflects the thoughts and feelings of the soul. Our soul is the problem! Our mind, will, and emotions are not in agreement with God. 

Proverbs 23:7 tells us, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Thinking wrongly causes us to live wrongly. Even as believers, we don’t make known—we don’t “prove”—“the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” because we think of ourselves as less than we are and we think of God as less than He is. 

When we are young and vulnerable, Satan begins planting twisted thoughts in our minds. The enemy knows that the core need of every person is to be cherished and adored. So, in order to steal, kill and destroy us human beings created in God’s image, the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10) fills our souls with wrong thoughts and feelings. He uses life experiences and traumatic events to keep us from seeing ourselves as treasured and valuable. 

The lies he plants might be something like: “You are not loved because you are _____. And then the blank is filled in with words such as: “unwanted,” “not as good as your brother,” or “not smart enough.” Or perhaps the lies take the form: “You need to _____ in order to prove your worth.” And then the blank is filled in with something impossible to do, such as: “obey the Ten Commandments,” “please your mother” or “be tougher.” 

It is not easy to recognize these twisted misconceptions. They hide in wordless silence beneath the radar of conscious thought, deep in the foundational structure of our mind, will, and emotions. Recurrent, distressing feelings (such as anxiety, terror, hopelessness, or separation) are the voice of your soul crying out, “Help me.” “Things aren’t right.” “I’m hurting.”

We weren’t taught the lies that manifest in these distressing feelings; it is more like we caught them. We caught them in the context of family, culture, and upbringing. 

Based on our interpretations of our experiences in the world, we form assumptions about ourselves, God, and others. 

But what if these assumptions are false? What if you are worth more than you can comprehend? What if God values and adores you, not as the world values you, not because you do “good” things, not with the underlying motive of changing or improving you, but just because you are you? 

There is hope. In keeping with God’s Word, the Spirit reveals truth to us. We grow in agreement with truth as we grow to know Jesus in the ongoing relationship of eternal life. And so we bring ourselves as hurting, vulnerable people in desperate need and let the Spirit reveal Jesus to us. We welcome Him to search and cleanse our souls. Even in difficulties, we trust Him and accept His ways of renewing our minds. 

What God says about you is true. You are His “very good” of creation. He fashioned you in your mother’s womb. He rejoices over you. He delights in you. 

God is working with you and in you to renew your mind so you become the person He created you to be. You are designed to express—to “prove” to the world—“the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 

Ponder for a Moment 

When do you tend to experience recurrent emotions you know aren’t healthy? 

What untrue thoughts about yourself, God, or others might underlie those emotions? 

Imagine what it might be like to have your mind renewed so that you think of yourself as God thinks of you.

Day 27

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16–17) 

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus heard these words as a man when he was baptized in the Jordan River. He heard these words as a person who, as far as we know from Scripture, had done nothing noteworthy in life up to that point. He heard His Father’s words before He had a single follower, taught a single lesson or did a single miracle. 

Jesus was born in an animal shed to a poor, unmarried girl. Soon after His birth, His family had to flee as refugees to a foreign land because authorities were trying to kill Him. Jesus was a 30-year-old carpenter living in an insignificant, little town when His heavenly Father spoke over Him, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 

Despite worldly evidence to the contrary, Jesus believed those words; He knew them as His identity. 

Immediately upon being baptized, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted to do something to prove the identity just spoken by His Father, “This is My beloved Son.” Satan tempted, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread…. If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.…” (Matthew 4:3–6). 

Adam and Eve had been similarly tested. They were created in God’s image. God had said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). But Satan tempted: “In the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God….” (Genesis 4:5). Humankind already was like God; we were created according to His likeness. 

But the serpent deceived: “Do this and make yourself better.” “Make yourself like God.” So the first couple did something they thought would make them become who (God had said) they already were. They ate the fruit .… and completely lost sight of their God-given identity. 

Satan’s temptation is still the same today: “Prove yourself.” “Do something grand and eye-catching.” “What God says about you isn’t true.” “You aren’t enough.” Satan tempts us to do something God hasn’t asked of us—to step away from the Spirit’s leading and follow the leading of our independent soul. 

Being believers doesn’t exempt us from this deception. Rather “the father of lies” (John 8:44) adds new twists. “Follow these Christian guidelines and improve yourself.” “You need to expand your ministry.” “Prove yourself by doing miracles.” 

But trying to become prevents us from simply resting in who we already are. In Christ, there is no need to work for approval, rather, our good works come from the foundation of experiencing His approval. 

Jesus didn’t try to prove Himself. He only did what His Father gave Him to do. He said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself does” (John 5:19–20). Jesus’ life flowed out of believing His Father’s words and knowing He was the beloved Son. At every step, He was led by the Spirit and walked in agreement with—in obedience to—His loving Father. 

We were created to do the same—to be led by the Spirit and walk in obedience to the love of God. Jesus is our example. He isn’t an example we get to try to copy in our own strength; He is the supreme example we get to believe in! In His death, Jesus regained for us our God-given identity stolen in the fall. He made a way for us to be like Him. 

You don’t need to do anything to prove your identity. As a beloved son/daughter, the works God chooses you to participate in flow out of your relationship with Him. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Have you thought you needed to do something more to prove your identity in Christ? Explain your answer. 

In Christ, you are accepted and adored. Write a sentence or recall a Scripture that reminds you personally of this truth. 

Day 28

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.… As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:4–5, 9) 

Jesus’ analogy of the vine and the branches paints a beautiful picture of our life in union with Him. Think of a flourishing grapevine; in Christ, our lives are vibrant and bountiful like the branches of that grapevine. 

Jesus is the vine; He is the root, trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit. He is the entire vine and we are part of Him. The vine is the whole and we, the branches, are an integral part of that whole. 

The vine and the branches are of the same substance. There is no separation between them. The same sap runs through both. We fit together perfectly with Jesus; He is a part of us and we are a part of Him. He lives in us and we live in Him; we abide in His love. 

When the branch is connected to the vine, it flourishes. The life of the vine flows through the branches and produces grapes. Apart from Christ, we are lifeless branches. 

But we can be fooled. The limbs of a dead Christmas tree can be hung with pretty ornaments. We can decorate ourselves to fit people-pleasing norms. From the outside, ornaments look “nice,” but only fruit carries the seeds of life. The independent soul is capable of making ornaments, but it is not capable of producing fruit. 

Fruit doesn’t come from being “nice” or religious. Apart from God, our thinking, our studying, our hard work, even our prayers, can’t produce fruit. No matter how well-intentioned our efforts be, fruit of the vine—fruit of the Spirit—is not “fruit of our effort.” Fruit of the Spirit comes as we are led by the Spirit in ongoing relationship with God. 

Fruit of the Spirit differs from gifts of the Spirit. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 believers waiting in Jerusalem and they received gifts of the Spirit. Still today the Holy Spirit comes upon us and we receive gifts of the Spirit including speaking in tongues, prophecy, words of knowledge, and the working of miracles. 

But fruit of the Spirit comes from a deep, abiding relationship within. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22). Fruit are traits of Christ’s nature which bubble up from within us.

Fruit is evidence of His life in us. It comes naturally as we rest in Jesus just as a branch abides in the vine. We are full of love, joy, and peace because Christ in us is these things. “Abide in Me.” “Abide in My love.” These words hold the key to our life in Christ. Fruit comes naturally as we rest in God’s love. 

Branches can’t produce fruit without being part of the vine and the vine can’t produce fruit without its branches. Jesus gives us a vital place in His life and work. We are wanted and included in God’s plan to share His goodness with the world. We are His open arms. We are his mouthpiece speaking words of truth and encouragement. He has chosen to show His goodness to the world through us. We are fruit-bearing branches overflowing with His life. 

You, my friend, are an integral part of the greatest love the world will ever know. God’s nature is reflected through the earthen vessel of your humanity. Life on earth is your opportunity to bring to others, the goodness of God … so that they too can be an integral part of the greatest love the world will ever know. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Picture a flourishing grapevine with branches overflowing with grapes. What does this image portray about your life as a vital part of Jesus, the vine? 

Recall a particularly memorable time when you were able to care for someone with extraordinary kindness and compassion. Record your experience. 

Day 29

But God who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–6) 

Three times in this passage Paul repeats the word “together.” God has “made us alive together with Christ.” He has “raised us up together.” He has “made us to sit together in the heavenly place in Christ Jesus.” “Together.” “Together.” “Together.” The bond is sealed tight. There is no separation; we are one in Christ. 

God’s purpose was not just to create us. It was not just to help us live a better life on earth. It was not just to welcome us to heaven when we died. It was not just to give us a glimpse of the Trinity’s glory. His purpose was to unite us with Christ so that we are together with Him in the intimate, vibrant, eternal life the Trinity enjoy. 

But how could God accomplish this? We were dead in our sin. We had completely missed the mark of living in unity with Him. In the fall we had sunk into the trap of doing our own thing apart from God. We had lost sight of who God was. And the Old Covenant was proof that we couldn’t obey our way out of it, work our way out of it or earn our way out of it. 

So, the Father sent His Son. In the form of a person like us. Jesus came down from the light of heaven and descended into our darkness. He took our sin; He took our blindness of not seeing God’s goodness and our messed-up thinking (that we were fine without Him). Jesus entered into our human nature; He was tempted as we are—with sin and unbelief. 

Jesus became one with us. When He died on the cross, all of our sin—all of our blindness, unbelief, and disunity with God—died too. Jesus took our Adam-nature—our old way of thinking and being—to the grave. 

But He didn’t stop there. Jesus rose in resurrection life! He ascended to the Father and when He did, He carried us with Him! When He rose, we rose—to “sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Jesus’ oneness with His Father became ours. 

Two thousand years ago, Jesus accomplished this for us. It is done. Today we get to live knowing and believing the truth: we get to live and knowing and believing Jesus. 

But what compelled Jesus to do what He did? Why did He do it? What is His heart for us? How does He really feel about you?

This Scripture makes clear the answer to these questions. God is “rich in mercy.” He made us alive together in Christ “because of His great love with which He loved us.” 

Jesus did what He did because He loves you and me. He treasures you. He values you. He doesn’t just love you because He is good and that is what He is supposed to do. He doesn’t love you grudgingly out of duty. God adores you extravagantly. He actually enjoys you and wants to be with you. He delights in you like a good father delights in his child. 

And His love is backed by action. He doesn’t just say what you want to hear. He would do anything to help you become your very best—your true self as He created you to be. 

Jesus carried you all the way into the Father’s embrace. The cross isn’t just about your sins being forgiven so you can go to heaven when you die; the cross is also about living in oneness with Jesus—in the acceptance and adoration of the Trinity—surrounded and infused with the relational rightness your soul craves. 

In Christ, you are alive together, raised up together, seated together. You are eternally together with Christ “because of His great love with which He loved us.” 

Ponder for a Moment 

What thoughts or feelings of God’s great love come to mind when you think of yourself as “together with Christ”? 

Day 30

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”
Then the righteous will answer Him saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?”
And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:34–40) 

Have you ever wondered, How do I love God? How does God want me to show that I love Him? Is it through singing songs of praise? Will He know that I love Him if I obey the Ten Commandments? Does He want me to shout into the sky, “I love You, Lord”? 

Jesus’ description of the King and his kingdom answers these questions. God wants us to demonstrate our love for Him by loving others. He accepts our love for others as our love for Him. 

The Old Covenant contained two great commandments: “You shall love the LORD your God …” and “You shall love your neighbor …” (Matthew 22:37, 39). But Jesus gave us a single command: “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Jesus’ command does not mention loving God. Only one command is required because by loving others we are loving God. There is no need for two commands; both are contained in the one. 

God is intimately connected to His people. When Saul (who became Paul) was blinded by a bright light on the road to Damascus, Jesus spoke to him, “Saul. Saul. Why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). After Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, the Lord took the fisherman aside and asked him three times, “Peter, do you love Me.” And each time, after Peter responded, “Yes,” Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.” “Tend My Sheep.” “Feed My sheep” (John 21:15–17). 

Jesus is so closely identified—so in union—with His followers that it is as if He is saying, “Every act of kindness you do for another you are actually doing for Me.” “As you care for others, I feel your love.” 

Hands-on, human acts of goodness, give us a picture of what heavenly love looks like on earth and they satisfy the heart of God. When you treat others with compassion, you are showing Him compassion. When you stop for a homeless person, you are stopping for Him. When you feed the hungry (physically or spiritually), you are feeding Him. When you comfort a friend in a difficult place, welcome a stranger or visit one who is sick, you are caring for Him. 

God is pleased when you give people the love their soul so desperately desires. When you treat others with loving kindness—as the treasured people they are—they begin to realize they are valued. In loving others, you reveal to them their own inherent beauty and declare to them their own incredible worth. Oh, the joy this brings to Jesus. 

You, my friend, were created to know God’s love and let it pour out of you to others. God gave you your unique place in the world to love those around you. In the wonderful way God made His kingdom, He accepts your love for others as your love for Him. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Who has God placed in your path to treat with lovingkindness? How might you best care for that person today? 

How might it change your attitudes and interactions to realize that in caring for someone, you are caring for Jesus? 

Day 31

God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) 

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” What does it mean? 

When we hope for something, we wait for it with eager expectation. We look forward to it with longing hearts. We have hope because of Christ in us. 

But what is glory? What are we hoping for? 

On Mount Sinai, Moses said to God, “Please show me Your glory.” And the Lord replied, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you.” (Exodus 33:18–19). Moses asked to see God’s glory and God showed Moses His goodness. God’s glory and His goodness are one and the same. God’s glory is His nature of loving kindness. 

After Moses encountered God on Mt Sinai, his face shown with glory. But the glory of the New Covenant is meant to exceed that. “If the ministry of death [the Ten Commandments], written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?” (2 Corinthians 3:7–8). God’s design is that we radiate His goodness that does not pass away. 

“Christ in you” is the basis for our hope. Our hope begins with God in our spirit. God lives in us—in our spirit. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). Christ in you—the Spirit hidden away in your spirit—is the foundation upon which our hope rests. 

But “hope of glory” isn’t meant to be the end point. The actual glory is Christ through you. It is Christ in your spirit filling and renewing your soul and flowing out through your body for others to experience. The glory manifests when our soul is caught up in knowing and seeing God and our body expresses it for the world to see. 

When our soul is permeated with the nature of Christ—when we are led by the Spirit—our body radiates the glory of God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14). When our soul comes to rest in agreement with the Spirit, we will be sons/daughters of God—fashioned after the image of the firstborn Son. You were made to be like Jesus and resonate with His divine nature.

God gives Himself to you in love so that you might share in His goodness—so that every bit of you is flooded with Him. Glory radiates through you when the nature of God—His love, joy, peace and kindness—pours out for the world to see. Glory is the fruit of the Spirit manifested through you in hands-on, earthly, relational ways. 

Glory was the “clothing” Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden before their covering fell away and they saw that they were naked. This is the glory Jesus paid for on the cross. The Spirit wants to burst forth from you in full, vibrant, abundant life. God’s desire is to be made known and visible to the world through you. When your spirit and soul are in agreement with Him, the goodness of God—the glory of God—is free to express itself through you. 

God is glorified when we express His glory. The glory of God is humanity fully alive. 

Just think of it. God created you—imperfect, unique, valuable, treasured you—to share His glory with the world. From the inside out—from spirit, to soul, to body—you were designed to radiate the nature of God! God’s glory—God’s lovingkindness—enlivens you and comes forth through you. You are God’s chosen vessel to enjoy His goodness and share it with the world. 

Ponder for a Moment 

For the rest of today, put yourself in Jesus’ sandals. Let His glory—His nature of lovingkindness—express itself through you as you go about your everyday life. 

“The glory of God is humanity fully alive.” What do these words mean to you? 

Day 32

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43–44, 46–48) 

Jesus tells us, “Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” But how can we possibly be perfect like that? Don’t Jesus’ words just set us up for failure? What does He mean? 

Webster’s Dictionary defines perfect as “being entirely without fault or defect, flawless … having excellence in every part … as in an unattainable state.” The world tells us “perfect” is being at the top of the class. It is breaking the track record each time you run a race. Religion drives us to think “perfect” involves obeying every law in the rulebook. 

And so we work hard for good grades. We strive for fast race times. We try to obey the rules, especially the ones we feel are most important. And when we succeed, we are praised. Teachers, coaches, bosses, friends, and family give us approval, and we feel valued … conditionally … for a time. 

But when we inevitably fall short, we feel less-than. How easy it is to believe Satan’s lies that because we don’t achieve some high standard, we are defective and unacceptable. 

You and I were not created to be “perfect” in the way the dictionary defines the term. Being “perfect” by the world’s definition is actually a denial of our humanity. 

The Greek word for perfect, teleios, actually means living out the goal set for each of us by God. Teleios is not an end to be reached; it is a way of continual life. It does not imply that we are without sin. Rather teleios refers to a condition in which we imperfect, messed-up humans are in ongoing relationship with our perfect Creator. 

On the cross, Jesus took our sins and imperfections; we are complete in Him. The Father sees us wrapped in the perfection of His Son. We are perfect when we give up our own striving to be perfect (by the world’s definition) and rest in the perfection of our Savior. 

We were not created to live as independent beings. The world and religion say, “I can do it. I can pull myself up to that standard.” Satan said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God” (Isaiah 14:13). But our soul—the I of us—was created to be led by the Spirit. We were created to say, “O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You. I will praise Your name” (Isaiah 25:1). 

Acknowledging Jesus as our Savior—exulting our Lord—gives Him proper place in our lives. Being perfect—living life as God created you to—comes from accepting yourself as you are and living in ongoing surrender and obedience to the perfect One. He welcomes you and cherishes you as you are. 

God’s definition of “perfect” is based in His perfect love. He is the source of the love that makes us perfect. Jesus’ love goes beyond loving your neighbor. It blesses those who curse you. It is kind to those who hate you. It prays for the ones who abuse and persecute you. God’s love extends even to your enemies. 

It isn’t in you or me to love like that. Maybe a good person could love a neighbor … but to love an enemy? Only God can do that. You are perfect when you live in Christ and let His love radiate through you to all, including your worst enemy. 

Ponder for a Moment 

How might you have tried to make yourself “perfect” in the past? 

How might embracing God’s definition of “perfect” change your opinion of yourself? 

How might it change your opinion of God?