Daily Devotional
God’s Love Manifested Through Me
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
John 15:12-13
May 2, 2024
Ponder This
I heard about a pastor in Georgia who went to visit a couple who was new in the church, and he noticed they had a little dog. And it was evident they loved and cared for the dog very well. The pastor asked, “Do you have any children?” When the pastor asked this, the woman began to cry and walked out of the room. The husband said, “We did have a son. He was our only child, but our son died and is in Heaven. And this little dog it may seem we make too much of was his. The love we’re pouring on this little animal is just our way of saying we love our son. You may think we love this dog too much, but I tell you we love him so much because our son loved him so much.”
When I heard that story, I thought, “That is so much like the Church.” We’re not much, but I tell you there’s somebody who loves us. His name is Jesus. Why do I love the Church? Because Jesus loves the Church. What a circle of friends we have because we have the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. We are to love others as Jesus loved us. That’s what friendship means.
- What would change if you started to love others in the same way Christ has loved you?
- Who has been an example to you of sacrificial Christ-like love?
Practice This
Love someone in a servant-hearted way today.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
