August Bible Plan, Week 1: Love & Grace
The first time the word love is mentioned in the Bible is in the book of genesis 22:2,
Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
We all know how that story went, God testing Abraham, telling him to sacrifice his only son, who he loves. To go up to the land of Moriah and there it is to be done. Abraham abides without question it seems and takes his son up the mountain and ties him up, knife in hand, ready to sacrifice his son. Now we all know that an angel from the Lord stops Abraham and he sacrifices a ram instead. The Lord then knows his heart is full of fear for the Lord and he is worthy for the calling for which he had been sent. The Lord also blessed Abraham and all of his descendants.
The first mention of the word love in the Bible, sets a precedence for us Christians. It denotes how we are to respond to the Lord. Now I’m not saying you have to sacrifice your children cause you have some crazy dream! The lord does not send biblical testing like that anymore because the final covenant has already been sealed through Christ. What it does tell us is we are to respond to the Lord, with faith & love.
The world outside our doors has been nothing but chaos, hatred, division, democracy, blaming, war. It is easy to feel divided, self isolated, depressed. It can be easy to lose our way in this chaotic world, stay focused on the negativity. So why not focus on what is good, pure, just and right. We have enough outside negativity to make our insides sick. Let’s choose to love, give life & offerings, unity, peace, guidance! We have so much love and light to give, so let’s spread it like a wildfire!
The Lord tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to give grace to others just as he has done for us. Is it really so difficult to do? Is it difficult to choose joy, peace, unity & love, over hatred, war & division? Of course it is easy to stay stuck in the negativity, it is easy. It takes actual effort to show love and kindness, especially to those whom we deem don’t deserve it. We have to remember that everyone struggles, everyone makes mistakes, everyone says things they do not mean. That doesn’t mean they don’t deserve love, kindness and grace.
God saved YOU by HIS grace when you believed, And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8
Make a conscious effort today, right now, to choose love and grace. Say something nice to someone, compliment a stranger, help the elderly or homeless, donate to your local church or charity drive, give a case of water to your local fire department, drop off doughnuts to your local police department, thank your healthcare workers and school teachers, or truck drivers. Do something nice for someone, you will be surprised at how much it can uplift your spirits. If you are really daring, get your children involved. Have them color pictures, make signs, or lunches for the homeless, goodie bags for pet shelters. The positive possibilities are endless!
So let’s spread love, like our Father instructs us!
More to come....
"My Grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9