Pastor Gary's OYB Devotion Archive for December 3

SHOW AND TELL LOVE

From: December 3, 2023

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions” (1 John 3:18 NLT).

When we receive Christ, we receive the love of Christ. This is the love that moved Christ to die in our place, so that we might have eternal life. Real love takes action. The evidence that we have received Christ is that the love that goes beyond mere words and takes action is suddenly ours. Christian love communicates itself through word and deed. It’s love that both shows and tells.

As John wrote in his gospel, “God so loved the world that he gave…” God’s kind of love, what the Greeks called “agape” love, is unconditional and sacrificial. God’s kind of love is love that gives. So “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24) today!

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us and thank You for pouring Your love into us through our faith in Christ. The chief fruit of the Spirit is love and we ask You to increase our experience of this fruit in our lives. Make us more loving O Lord, we pray. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.” (1 John 3:9 NLT).

From: December 3, 2022

ABIDING WE NO LONGER MAKE A PRACTICE OF SINNING

John here describes the fruit of being born again, namely, that those with God’s life in them, no longer make a practice of sin. Sin is no longer their habit. This is not the precondition of salvation. For salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Yet, the fruit of having received this salvation is that the child of God is putting off the old nature with its sinful desires and putting on the new nature, which loves God and neighbor.

There is a positional truth and an experiential truth in view here. Positionally, the believer is already counted righteous before God in Christ. The righteousness of Christ has been credited unto the believer by faith. But experientially, that same believer is still working out their salvation in this world, putting off the old man and putting on the new.

So, perfection, complete sinlessness, will not be the believer’s experience until the glorified body is received. On that day, position and experience will be the same.

Yet until that day, let us work out what God is working in us (Phil. 2:12-13), knowing that Christ is our Advocate before the Father and depending on Him to complete that which He began in us until the Day of His return.

PRAYER: Dear Father, we confess our sins to You. We thank You that You are faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us. Fill us afresh with Your Spirit that we might abide in Christ today, putting off the flesh and walking in the Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.” (1 John 3:18 HCSB).

From: December 3, 2021

TRUE LOVE ACTS

When we receive Christ, we receive the love of Christ. This is the love that moved Christ to die in our place, so that we might have eternal life. True love takes action. The evidence that we have received Christ is that the love that goes beyond mere words and takes action is suddenly ours. Christian love communicates itself through word and deed.

As John wrote in his gospel, “God so loved the world that he gave…” God’s kind of love, what the Greeks called “agape” love, is unconditional and sacrificial. God’s kind of love is love that gives. So “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” today (See Heb. 10:24)!

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us and thank You for pouring Your love into us through our faith in Christ. The chief fruit of the Spirit is love and we ask You to increase our experience of this fruit in our lives. Make us more loving O Lord, we pray. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1 NKJV).

From: December 3, 2020

HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO CORRECTION?

Are you correctable? Are you humble enough to take correction and criticism without “hardening your neck?” In other words, being “stiff-necked” and unwilling to change. This biblical proverb warns us that those who will not listen to rebuke and make changes, will soon be in so much trouble that it will be too late to avoid it.

One of the traits that we look for in elevating leaders in our church is the trait of being teachable. This means that not only do they handle correction well, but they willingly invite the same and make the recommended changes. This is the culture we want to create in our disciple-making. We want F.A.T. disciples. F-faithful, A-available, and T-teachable!

How do you respond to correction?

PRAYER: Dear Father, we want to be easily corrected and teachable. We want to be humble followers of Jesus. Teach us to put away our pride and to humbly follow You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions” (1 John 3:18 NLT).

From: December 3, 2019

TRUE LOVE COMMUNICATES THROUGH WORD AND DEED

When we receive Christ, we receive the love of Christ. This is the love that moved Christ to die in our place, so that we might have eternal life. Real love takes action. The evidence that we have received Christ is that the love that goes beyond mere words and takes action is suddenly ours. Christian love communicates itself through word and deed. As John wrote in his gospel, “God so loved the world that he gave…” God’s kind of love, what the Greeks called “agape” love, is unconditional and sacrificial. God’s kind of love is love that gives. So “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24) today!

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us and thank You for pouring Your love into us through our faith in Christ. The chief fruit of the Spirit is love and we ask You to increase our experience of this fruit in our lives. Make us more loving O Lord, we pray. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.” (1 John 3:9 NLT).

From: December 3, 2018

NEW PRACTICES NOT YET PERFECTION

John here describes the fruit of being born again, namely, that those with God’s life in them, no longer make a practice of sin. Sin is no longer their habit. This is not the precondition of salvation. For salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Yet, the fruit of having received this salvation is that the child of God is putting off the old nature with its sinful desires and putting on the new nature, which loves God and neighbor.

There is a positional truth and an experiential truth in view here. First, the believer is already counted righteous before God positionally in Christ. But experientially, that same believer is still working out their salvation in this world, putting off the old man and putting on the new. So, perfection, complete sinlessness, will not be the believer’s experience until the glorified body is received. On that day, position and experience will be the same.

Until that day, let us work out what God is working in us (Phil. 2:12-13), knowing that Christ is our Advocate before the Father and depending on Him to complete that which He began in us.

“But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17 NKJV).

From: December 3, 2017

A good reminder especially during the Christmas season. Don’t sit on your “worldly goods” while your brother is in need. If you have the love of God in you, then you will not “shut up your heart” and look away. You will give. Because love, God’s kind of “agape” love, always gives.

“Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece” (Daniel 11:2 ESV)

From: December 3, 2016

One of the most amazing prophesies concerning the future of human kingdoms was given to Daniel. Written around 530 BC, God revealed the rise and fall of kingdoms from the time of Daniel to the end times. The three kings predicted to “arise” in Persia was fulfilled by the reigns of Cyrus, Cambyses, and Darius. The 4th and final king of Persia, the one “richer than all” before him, was fulfilled by Xerxes. As Daniel’s prophecy predicted over 200 years before it happened, Xerxes “stirred up” the Greeks which led to Persia being conquered by the “mighty king” (Dan. 11:3), Alexander the Great. The rest of the chapter goes on to describe kingdoms that have come and gone in the following centuries all the way up to the present and beyond. The Lord pulled back the veil of time to show Daniel the kingdoms to come before Christ would establish His everlasting kingdom. The future is in the Lord’s hands.

“But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17 NKJV)

From: December 3, 2015

Love gives. That’s the proof of its authenticity. And those who claim to be children of God are to exhibit this proof. Do you see a brother in need? Don’t “shut up” your heart. Living in this world it’s easy to become hard hearted, but John tells us to live with open hearts and open hands towards those in need. Does the love of God “abide” in you?

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions” (1 John 3:18 NLT)

From: December 3, 2014

When we receive Christ, we receive the love of Christ. This is the love that moved Christ to die in our place, so that we might have eternal life. Real love takes action. The evidence that we have received Christ is that the love that goes beyond mere words and takes action is suddenly ours. Christian love communicates itself through word and deed.