Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©
This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
(1 John 3:11 (NIV))
I honestly believe that our society has twisted what it means to love each other.
Think about that for a moment. We used to correct and discipline each other because we loved each other. We, as a society, did not want to see each other fall into sins that became habits that became lifestyles. We loved each other enough to try and offer guidance and correction so that no one would stumble and fall. We literally took each other on as a responsibility because we understood the concept that it is easier to guide than it is to recover from a fall. We also understood the consequences of sin, both short term and eternal.
Sadly, in today’s society, we are considered hateful if we try to offer guidance. We are only looked upon as loving if we completely accept everything about each other.
If that is how love works, then we need to be honest with ourselves and admit that we hate ourselves. After all, everybody has something in their lives that they hate. By that logic, if we can’t accept everything about ourselves, then we must hate ourselves.
Human nature proves that statement to be incorrect, after all, self-preservation is a very strong human characteristic.
Godly love is not acceptance, but a desire to see what is best for each other.
Is addiction good for anybody?
Is hatred good for anybody?
Is rebellion against God good for anybody?
Is sin ever in anybody’s interests?
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
(Romans 3:23 (NIV))
Is eternal separation from God good for anybody?
It is for this reason that we must tell people about Jesus, and not the watered down Jesus that accepts our sins without asking us to repent. Jesus showed tough love.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
(Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV))
Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Daily Living Ministries 