| Photo by Rene Bernal on Unsplash
Another mark of a Spirit-filled follower of Jesus is found in Romans13: 8-10; the characteristic that is the most essential is love. If God is love, then we need His Spirit to reveal and empower us to love people with God’s love.
“Owe nothing to anyone – except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These and other such commandments – are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does not wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of the God’s law.”
We need to pray for God’s love to flow into our lives, so that it can flow out of our lives to other people. Love is a verb! Love is action, response, behavior, attitudes and a result of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.
* Love is an obligation, discipline that we need to make the choice to give. Love is not a feeling, but love is a choice! Love is God’s Spirit in action through our lives. We do not fall in love, we make the choice to love. Lord, help us to make the choice to love today.
* Love will keep us from breaking other commandments. I will not commit adultery, if I love my spouse. I will not murder someone that I make the choice to love. I will not steal from someone because of love. I will not covet what others have because of my love for God and love for the person. That is why the greatest characteristic of being a follower of Jesus is love!
* Love does what is right and not what is wrong! That is why I must decrease so that He may increase in my life!
Lord, help me to make the choice to love people the way that You love me unconditionally! 1 Corinthians 13:13 – “So now faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the International Christian Center (ICC) Lead Senior Pastor at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws on many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and from significant emotional experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is receiving rave reviews. The daily devotion appears in this publication.
