Posts Tagged "Paul"

Love Others Well – A 2MefromHim Devotional

Posted by on Feb 11, 2020 | Comments Off on Love Others Well – A 2MefromHim Devotional

Love Others Well – A 2MefromHim Devotional

Let’s love each other well this Valentine’s Day!

 

 

 

 

 

Love Others Well

2MefromHim Devotional

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Love Others Well 3

This Valentine's Day, let's do things differently and learn to love others well God's way. #ValentinesDay #love #God Share on X

Learning to love others well

Valentine’s Day fills us with thoughts of love but not necessarily the right kind. A walk through the mall reveals that the love God speaks of is very different than what advertisements and entertainment portray. John said, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.” He should be our source of learning how to love others well.

Broken wedding vows. Broken hearts. Hurt feelings. Ruined friendships. Families destroyed. We don’t do a good job of loving.

Broken wedding vows. Broken hearts. Hurt feelings. Ruined friendships. Families destroyed. We don’t do a good job of loving. #relationships #family #marriage Share on X

Jesus’ commands

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, and the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. However, the greatest insight comes from Paul. He uses action words such as patient and kind. Instead of being envious, boastful, or proud, we must aside personal feelings and needs and reach out to the very people who wounded us.

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We must aside personal feelings and reach out to the very people who wounded us. #forgiveness #healing #reconciliation Share on X

Learn to forgive

What if we let wrongs slide off our backs like heavy weights rather than dwelling on our differences? How would family and friends respond if instead of reacting in anger we set aside our perceived rights and forgave? Because we are forgiven, we must choose to follow His example. A failure to do so is to choose to sin against the Author of love.

In truth, the single greatest reason for failure is pride. My pride. Matthew 5:44 says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” Does it not, therefore, stand to reason that we are to forgive those closest to us? When I pray for those who injure me, my own hurt changes to concern for the well-being of others.

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Love by putting others first

Paul says love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Clearly, to love well, our emphasis must be on the other person, rather than ourselves. If I hold onto hurt and anger, pride, and refuse to seek forgiveness when someone believes I wronged them, I fail. Therefore, I must offer prayer instead of resentment and forgiveness rather than pride.

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Who would God ask you to treat differently this Valentine’s Day?

What if we offered prayer instead of resentment and forgiveness rather than pride. What if we loved God's way? #God #love #forgiveness Share on X

© Copyright by Norma Gail Holtman, February 10, 2020

 

About the author:

Norma Gail - AuthorNorma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing in the summer of 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 43 years. They have two adult children. If you’re interested in connecting with her, follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.

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