Devotion
United in Love
Chipo Biti
The only way that believers can be united is when their bond is rooted in the love of God. The love of God that will help us remove our resentment and hatred towards one another. Instead of trying to gain an upper hand on the next person, we look out for one another. Instead of causing strife over one another's imperfections, we become patient with one another. These things cannot be done in our own power. That is we have the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, to help us love one another in a way that reflects God and who He really is.
We should let unity be our driving force for loving one another. When we as Christians are united, we become unstoppable as we move to spread the love of God across the world. We cannot do it as individuals. Christianity is not a life of isolation. We cannot thrive on our own. We have to be joined together. That is what God intended - for all of us to be united in love. When the world sees us genuinely looking out for one another as we worship God, they will be moved to join in.
In the times of the apostles, in Acts, love was shared among the believers and it drew in more new converts with every day that passed. They grew in multitudes and the love among them grew. As they grew, the gospel reached the world with a great speed. Even when the early church was scattered, they continued to support each other from a distance.
Prayer
We are called to be one - One in God, One in the faith. This cannot be achieved if we do not walk in love. Love helps us reach out to one another. We aren't meant to be looking out for our selfish interests. We have to see looking out for one another as an honorable thing to do - because it really is. There is nothing greater than walking in the love of God.
Nothing at all.
Devotion
Misrepresenting God
Frances Taylor
This passage is one I try very hard to take to heart. For over forty years, I have worked to bring the gospel message to children and adults alike. That is what I'm doing as I write this. It is so important that we don't misrepresent God to others. When someone tells me they don't believe in God, I wonder whose image of God they have been taught. When I was a child, it was common to hear that God was some policeman in the sky that was going to punish me for everything I did wrong. The idea of a loving, forgiving God was not taught as the norm. Ministers and other teachers of religion often spoke more of hellfire and damnation. It's no wonder that there are those who claim that God doesn't exist. On the other hand, there are those who taught that God was like Santa Claus, keeping track of our good deeds and rewarding us accordingly, or tracking our misdeeds and punishing us accordingly. Neither of these images of God are accurate. God is loving ...
