Constrained By Love (Daily Devotional)

Greetings, thank you for another opportunity to be able to come your way and spend a few moments with you in God's word and in prayer. We're always delighted to be able to share God's word and release the word of God so that it blesses and strengthens the hearts of people. This week, we have been talking about the motives of our hearts and we are considering what are some of the right motives to have. We mentioned that the first and most important right motive to have is to do everything to glorify God. Another important motivation that we want to look at today is that in whatever we do, we are motivated by love. The apostle Paul wrote this in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verses 14 and 15 he said, ‘for the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.’ So, he says the love of Christ compels or motivates us. In the context of what he's saying it is love for Christ and love given to us by Christ for people. So, there's this motivation of love, whatever I'm doing, I'm doing because I love Jesus because He first loved me and I'm also doing it because that same love enables me to love people and I'm doing it motivated out of love for people. So, that is the second pure motivation- love for Jesus and love for people, that becomes what motivates us. The love of Christ is what compels us. So, we need to check our hearts and all that we do and say, am I being motivated by love in what I'm doing? Is the love of God motivating me here? Now, there are times we feel great compassion and we do things motivated very purely by compassion, you're giving, you’re blessing, you're serving and you're motivated by love and that is something that is wonderful, but sometimes we also have to do difficult things. Sometimes if you are in a place of leadership or if you are in a place of whether it's at home as a husband, as a parent or in your workplace, as a manager or as a boss or in various situations, you have to do difficult things, you may have to discipline your children, as a boss, you may have to look over your staff or your people who are working or so many things and even in those difficult situations, can we be motivated by love? It means, do what love will do, even when you're handling a difficult situation because Paul said, the love of God motivates us and if we can position ourselves and say, let me do this with the love of God, motivated with that love, then we can be sure that our motive is pure before God because you're motivated by the love of God even in difficult situations. Both in situations that are easy and wonderful, like giving and serving and all of that, but also in difficult situations, be motivated by love, do what the love of God would do. Start with that kind of a heart attitude and you and I will be safe, that our motive is pure before God because God sees that what is motivating us is the love that comes from Him and the love that is for Him. Let's pray, Lord, we ask you that in everything we do, will be motivated out of love for you and love for people, that in every situation, the love of God will motivate us in what we say and what we do so that our motives are pure before you, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily devotions to strengthen your faith each day. Daily Devotional for Spirit filled living. Each daily devotion is about five minutes in duration. These daily devotionals are centered around a weekly theme. So there are seven daily devotions that focus on the theme and bring you insight, understanding and revelation from the Bible. Each week's theme is listed as a series. So you can listen to the current week's devotions or go to any previous theme/series that speaks to your present need (https://apcwo.org/resources/daily-devotions ). Also available free sermons (https://apcwo.org/sermons), and free Christian books (https://apcwo.org/books) to nourish and strengthen your faith.