Thursday after Epiphany
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Daily Devotionals
Voice of the Lord
Everyone will know that you are my talmidim [disciples] by the fact that you have love for each other (John 13:35).
When I was a boy, I had a poster on my bedroom wall with the familiar character, Charlie Brown, leaning on his elbows looking rather dour. The caption read, "I love humanity—it's people I can't stand." This theme of loving one another is significant, not only because of the many passages of Scripture that emphasize it, but because it is so lacking among believers today.
Rabbi Levi Isaac of Berdichev said, "Whether a man really loves God can be determined by his love for his fellow man." Unfortunately, we only pay lip service to this responsibility. We feel that in some cosmic way we fulfill this demand of Scripture just by being followers of Yeshua. We have a "say-so" love and not a "do-so" love, but God calls us to so much more. Our love of God is integrally connected to our love for others. It is only God's love in us that can empower us to love others.We love because he first loved us.
God's love is sacrificial; it holds nothing back. God's love is undeserved; the recipient can make no claim to that love. When we love one another, our love must be sacrificial and it must be extended, even to those whom we feel don't deserve it.We love because he first loved us, and when we love, the world will see the power of Yeshua in action.
...look to demonstrate the love of God to those I meet, especially those I find unlovely.
DB
The Voice of the Lord, Copyright © 1998 by the Lewis and Harriet Lederer Foundation, Inc. Published by Messianic Jewish Publishers, Distributed by Messianic Jewish Resources, www.messianicjewish.net. All rights reserved. Used by permission. No part of this article may be reproduced in print or on the web, or transmitted in any form, without the written permission of the publisher.
