Daily Devotions
God's Liberating Love
Reading for February 16: Numbers 22-24
Weekly reading for February 11-17: Romans 1-5
Title: God's Liberating Love
...and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5
My grandfather had a dog named George who had major trust issues when he first got him. George had been abused by his former owners. It took him a while before he would warm up to granddaddy, and even longer until he would approach the rest of us.
I know a lot of people who are like George. They have been hurt so many times, and have built walls around their hearts for that reason. They are afraid to open up and make themselves vulnerable.
George was saved from the prison he was living in by the consistent and patient love of my grandfather. In a similar way, when we experience God's unconditional love for us we are freed to give and receive love from others.
More than that, God's love is inexhaustible, and the deeper we go into his love, the more love we can give. His love frees us to not only give and receive love from those who are our friends, it allows us to show love to our enemies (Romans 12:14-21). We have an oversupply of love that makes us liberal and reckless in our love for others.
Father, fill us up with your love so that we might love others.
