Day 16: Love

Reflecting the reality that God is Love in all areas of your life

God is Love. Is there any attribute of God that we celebrate more? As God’s image-bearers we have the high calling of proclaiming His love—in word and in deed—to a world in desperate need of it (1 Peter 2.9). This task—however—is impossible unless we are experiencing His love in all areas of our lives. This becomes possible as we commit ourselves to the Spirit-empowered life where we relinquish the idols of our past (and present) and seek after the “things that are above, where Christ is…” (Colossians 3.1-14). This life is the one that reflects the reality that God is Love.

• Read 2 Peter 1.5-8
• In what areas of your life is God inviting you to reflect the reality of His love?

Through this exercise, I have learned that God is inviting me to reflect the reality of His love in many ways that I had not even realized I was ignoring. Each of the qualities that we have explored has provided me with a realization that often my goals in life are not what they should be. There are so many qualities that I must truly work on if I am to be more like Christ. Too often I have let the love of God get lost in the business of God. I have allowed myself to think I was accomplishing something for His Kingdom and have forgotten that I am one of His greatest accomplishments. Without being as much like Christ as I possibly can be, I cannot effectively reflect the reality of His love.

• How is God inviting you to practice the reality of His perfect love in your community?

I have been striving to be in constant practice of the reality of God’s perfect love. I feel like my most recent successes are only through God’s love and one of the most powerful way that I could practice God’s love is by sharing with others what He has done in my life. The wonderful thing that I have come to realize through this exercise is how prominent God’s love is in our lives despite our tremendous imperfections. Even at the most basic levels, we are so purely human and sinful that we think we are “good.” As a Christian, when we realize how not good we truly are, it can be discouraging. In the light of these realizations, I am determined that God’s love has seen me through the worst and I have no doubt that He will help see me through to my best.