Devotion
Jesus - The Manifestation of God’s Love
Chipo Biti
Jesus Christ is the manifestation of the fullness of God's love for all mankind. When the world was at its worst, God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and set us free from the bondage of the enemy. There was no one else who could have done this for us without any ulterior motives. God simply did this because of His love for us. We didn't deserve it. Humanity was a mess at the time Jesus came to the earth. There was a mixed multitude of people - those who knew God but had chosen to turn their backs on Him, those who did not know God at all, and those who walked around with their noses in their air as they depended on their self-righteousness.
But they all had one thing in common: sin. There was nothing no man could do to resolve it. Many had tried to fulfill their law in their own power but they could not do it. All the sacrifices that were done to atone the sins of the children of Israel were done on a regular basis because they were unable to stop sinning. Sin had a powerful grip over the people and it brought out the worst in them.
Prayer
We were redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ, reconciled to God, the Father. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can be children of God. There is no other way. Our lives have been justified by the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on our behalf. All of this done out of love and nothing else.
When you think about the magnitude of this great gift, it is more than enough to make you want to dance for joy for as long as you can. When we think of the love of God, all we have to do is think of Jesus because that is where it is all shown. Jesus Christ is the evidence we have of the loving Father that we have.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
