Category: Love of God

  • Payment or Present

    Payment or Present

    Your relationship with God is not a contract you must painstakingly fulfill, but a covenant He graciously initiates.

    The saying, “You get what you pay for,” resonates deeply with us, often feeling like an undeniable truth. It’s woven into the fabric of our society, shaping our expectations of fairness and merit. We strive for a world where effort equals reward, where good actions yield good outcomes, and where anything less feels inherently unjust. This perspective, born from our earthly experiences, often spills over into our spiritual lives, leading us to believe that our relationship with God is a transaction—a contract where we perform certain deeds in exchange for His favor.

    The story of Ashton and the R50 smart watch from Temu illustrates this human tendency. The allure of a seemingly incredible deal, only to be met with disappointment, leads to the resigned sigh, “You get what you pay for.” This sentiment, while practical in the marketplace, becomes a significant stumbling block when applied to our walk with God. We wonder if we have to earn God’s love, if our good deeds create a debt He must repay with blessings and eternal life. We may even feel frustrated when our efforts don’t seem to yield the expected results, questioning God’s fairness when He doesn’t hold up “His end of the bargain.”

    The Rich Young Ruler: A Quest for Payment

    In Matthew 19:16-22, we encounter a rich young man who embodies this very question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” His inquiry reveals a contractual mindset, a belief that eternal life is a commodity to be purchased through good works. Jesus, in His wisdom, challenges this notion by listing the commandments, seemingly setting a price for entry into the kingdom. The young man, confident in his outward adherence to the law, proudly declares, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”

    His response highlights a fundamental misunderstanding, a common human error. He believed he had fulfilled his part of the contract, that he had “paid” enough. Yet, Jesus’ ultimate instruction to sell all his possessions and follow Him exposed the true obstacle: his reliance on his own efforts and wealth, rather than on God’s grace. The young man’s sorrowful departure reveals the painful truth—he wasn’t willing to release his grip on what he believed he had earned.

    The disciples, too, struggled with this transactional thinking. Peter, ever the spokesman, voices their implicit contract: “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” (Matthew 19:27). Their question, while understandable from a human perspective, underscores the deeply ingrained belief that there must be an equivalent return for their sacrifices.

    The Vineyard Parable: A Gift, Not a Wage

    Jesus then reframes the entire discussion with the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). This powerful story shatters the illusion of a merit-based relationship with God. The vineyard owner hires workers at different times of the day, yet at the end, pays them all the same wage—a denarius. The workers who bore the burden of the day and the scorching heat are furious, feeling cheated by the owner’s “unfair” generosity to those who worked for only an hour.

    This parable powerfully illustrates that God’s kingdom operates on a different economy—one of grace, not merit. The owner, representing God, asserts his right to be generous with what is his. He declares, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” (Matthew 20:15).

    Our natural instinct screams, “More work equals more pay!” But in God’s kingdom, our “wage”—what we are truly owed—is not eternal life through our good deeds, but spiritual death due to our sin. Romans 3:23 reminds us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and Romans 6:23 unequivocally states, “For the wages of sin is death.” Even our most righteous deeds, as Isaiah 64:6 vividly describes, are “like a polluted garment”—unclean and insufficient to earn God’s favor.

    The Gospel: A Present, Not a Payment

    The good news, the Gospel, is that God does not offer us a payment based on our works, but a present based on His boundless grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 beautifully articulates this truth: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

    Your relationship with God is not a contract you must painstakingly fulfill, but a covenant He graciously initiates. A contract says, “If you do this, I’ll do this.” A covenant says, “I will.” God’s covenant with us, established through Jesus, is a promise to forgive our sins and restore our relationship with Him.

    This means you don’t have to work to earn God’s approval; in fact, you cannot earn it. God loves you right now, just as you are, as much as He ever has and as much as He ever will. Nothing you do or don’t do can make Him love you more or less. He is not a distant, unapproving father waiting for you to perform; He is a loving Father who runs towards you, full of mercy and compassion. As Romans 9:15 reminds us, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

    Living from God’s Approval, Not For It

    The challenge then becomes, how do we stop “trying so hard” to earn something that has already been freely given? It’s a journey of actively dismantling the contractual mindset and embracing the covenantal truth. We are called to shift from working for God’s approval to working from God’s approval.

    This shift takes time and intentionality. It means recognizing the areas in your life where you still believe you need to “perform” for God’s love or favor. Perhaps it’s in a struggle with sin, where you feel you need a “holy week” before you can approach Him again. Or maybe it’s in your service, where you feel God owes you something for your efforts.

    The invitation is to identify these areas, acknowledge the underlying belief that you need to earn His love, and then intentionally offer those feelings back to God. Ask Him to help you truly grasp His unconditional acceptance and approval because of Jesus. Pray for the faith to believe that today, right now, you are loved and accepted.

    God has extended the ultimate gift: an eternal relationship with Him, not as a payment for your works, but as a present of His grace. Will you accept it?

    Reflect:

    1. Reflecting on “You Get What You Pay For”: In what areas of your life (relationships, work, personal goals) do you most strongly feel the pull of the “you get what you pay for” mentality? How does this mindset influence your expectations and actions?
    2. Examining Your Relationship with God: Can you identify any instances or ongoing patterns where you find yourself “working for God’s approval” rather than “working from God’s approval”? What specific thoughts or feelings arise when you consider this distinction?
    3. Understanding God’s Grace: The parable of the vineyard owner highlights God’s sovereignty and generosity. How does the idea that God chooses to be merciful and compassionate, regardless of our perceived “worth” or “work,” challenge your inherent sense of fairness?
    4. Accepting the Present: The devotional emphasizes that our relationship with God is a present, not a payment. What does it truly mean for you to “accept this present”? What might be preventing you from fully embracing this truth?
    5. Shifting Your Perspective: The devotional encourages us to identify areas where we are working for God’s approval and offer them back to Him. What is one specific area in your life right now where you can intentionally practice this shift, trusting in God’s already-given acceptance?

    Closing Prayer:

    Heavenly Father, we come before You acknowledging our human tendency to strive, to earn, and to believe that Your favor is something we must pay for. Forgive us for often approaching You with a contract in hand, rather than with open hearts ready to receive Your boundless grace. Help us, Lord, to truly grasp the profound truth that our relationship with You is a glorious present, freely given through Jesus. Unpack in our hearts the meaning of Your covenant, a promise of forgiveness and restoration that requires only our acceptance. Holy Spirit, reveal the areas in our lives where we are still working for Your approval, and empower us to instead work from the deep well of Your already-given love and acceptance. May we rest in the knowledge that nothing we do can make You love us more, and nothing we’ve done can make You love us less. Thank You for Your incredible generosity, for choosing to have mercy on us, and for the gift of eternal life through Christ. Amen.

  • Hear

    Hear

    when you look at your life right now, what are you hearing? Is it God’s clear, loving voice, or has it been shaped by the enemy’s discouraging suggestions?

    Life is a journey, and along the path, it’s easy to get sidetracked. Distractions, challenges, and even seemingly innocent suggestions can cause us to drift away from the core truths that sustain our spiritual health. Today we look at the discipline of listening to God speak to us personally.

    The Power of Suggestion

    Remember those silly primary school jokes, like “elephant shoe”? It highlights a psychological phenomenon called the McGurk Effect. When what we hear conflicts with what we see, our brain can create a completely different perception of what’s being said. This illustrates the power of suggestion: we often hear what we are led to see, even if it’s not the actual message. In our spiritual lives, this phenomenon has a profound parallel. The enemy, the devil, is a master of suggestion, subtly working to distort God’s truth into a “silly joke” in our minds.

    The serpent didn’t directly contradict God when he confronted Eve in Genesis 3, instead, he used a suggestion: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” This subtle insinuation was enough to plant doubt and twist what Eve had heard directly from God. Similarly, in Matthew 4, the devil tempted Jesus in the desert with suggestions, even quoting Scripture out of context: “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread…” and “Throw yourself down, for it is written…”

    Jesus’ Example: Placing Truth Before Suggestion

    The crucial difference between Eve and Jesus lies in their response to these suggestions. Eve was misled, more like many of us in our humanity. As Paul warns in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

    Jesus, however, countered the enemy’s suggestions by correctly placing God’s spoken truth before Himself. His responses communicated a profound truth: what the enemy suggests cannot change what He hears God saying. This is a vital lesson for us. The enemy strategically forms suggestions, like a potter shaping clay, against us in our situations. His goal is for us to become discouraged and doubtful, to miss what God is truly speaking to us.

    So, when you look at your life right now, what are you hearing? Is it God’s clear, loving voice, or has it been shaped by the enemy’s discouraging suggestions? Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” This principle applies not only to what we speak but also to what we allow ourselves to hear. If we let the enemy’s destructive suggestions override God’s life-giving truth, we risk diminishing the abundant life God intends for us.

    Hearing God in Every Circumstance

    The thief comes to “steal and kill and destroy,” but Jesus came “that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). The difference between abundant life and destruction often hinges on the words we allow ourselves to hear and hold onto, especially when faced with challenging situations. When suffering comes, what do you hear internally? “Where’s God gone?” “What did I do wrong?” “Am I a fool for having faith?” These are the enemy’s suggestions, designed to create doubt and despair.

    Think of Mary and Martha in John 11, grieving their brother Lazarus. Their suggestion to Jesus was, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” They felt let down. Yet, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, completely changing the story. The disciples, disillusioned after Jesus’ crucifixion, also spoke from supposition: “We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24). But Jesus defeated death, and their hope was restored. Even Joseph, chosen for greatness, endured years of pain and possible questioning, only to later declare to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20).

    We can hear a good God speaking to us, even in situations that hurt, as long as we are not listening through the lens of the enemy’s suggestions.

    The Inner Voice: A Starting Point

    A crucial starting point for hearing God’s truth is examining your inner voice. Dallas Willard noted that “God’s primary means of communicating with us is through the inner voice, the inner thoughts and impressions that are characteristic of our own minds when they are under the influence of the Spirit of God.” So, if you don’t speak kindly to yourself, who are you truly hearing? God is love, and His voice aligns with the characteristics of love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: patient, kind, not easily angered, not keeping records of wrongs, always protecting.

    While God’s truth can sometimes be challenging to accept, it will always be spoken in love, kindness, and patience, without anger or shame, and always for your protection. One of the simplest ways to begin hearing God’s truth beyond the enemy’s suggestions is to start speaking kindly to yourself. How can you truly hear God’s “I love you” if your internal dialogue is harsh and critical? We are called to be like Jesus not only to others but also to ourselves. How would Jesus speak to you if He were here?

    Reflect:

    1. What specific situations in your life right now do you feel are being influenced by discouraging or doubtful suggestions, similar to Mary and Martha’s frustration with Jesus?
    2. What have those suggestions been saying about God’s character or His care for you?
    3. How does your inner voice speak to you in these challenging situations? Is it kind and encouraging, or critical and shaming?
    4. Considering God’s love as described in 1 Corinthians 13, what specific changes do you need to make in how you speak to yourself?
    5. What truth from God’s Word can you intentionally place before yourself in your current circumstances to counter the enemy’s suggestions, remembering that God can bring life out of what seems dead, and good out of what was intended for harm?

    Closing Prayer

    Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your unfailing love and the truth of Your Word. Forgive us for the times we have allowed the enemy’s subtle suggestions to cloud our perception and cause us to drift from Your truth. Help us to pay closer attention to what we have heard from You.

    Strengthen our inner ears, Lord, so that we may discern Your voice amidst the noise of the world and the lies of the enemy. Teach us to speak kindly to ourselves, aligning our inner dialogue with Your loving heart. 

    May we, like Jesus, place Your truth before every suggestion and circumstance, knowing that You are a God who raises the dead and turns all things for our good. Amen.

    Watch the sermon on YouTube

  • Father’s Day

    Father’s Day

    God is a good Father who loves you, even if things in your life have seemed bad. This is a foundational truth for our spiritual journey.

    God is a good Father who loves you, even if things in your life have seemed bad. This is a foundational truth for our spiritual journey. As Christian author and teacher Thomas Keating observed, our perception of God significantly impacts our relationship with Him. If we view God as an angry father, a suspicious policeman, or a harsh judge, it becomes incredibly difficult to wholeheartedly embrace the spiritual path.

    The Apostle John, in his first letter, sought to help early believers understand their identity as children of God, loved by a good Heavenly Father. In 1 John 3:1 – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” The phrase “what kind” in the original Greek literally means “of what country” or “of what foreign origin.” This implies an astonishing, otherworldly love, one that is entirely unfamiliar by human standards.

    Beyond Earthly Measures

    This is a crucial point: You can’t use the standards of your earthly parents’ love, or lack thereof, as a measure for the love you assume your Heavenly Father lavishes over you as His child. When we apply earthly standards to divine love, we might intellectually acknowledge God’s love, chosenness, and acceptance, yet simultaneously experience an intuitive feeling that we’re never quite good enough. We might feel compelled to earn God’s complete approval through performance, rather than living from the overflowing abundance of His already-given love. This leads to a fundamental struggle: How can we accept the fullness of God’s otherworldly love for us if we are unable to comprehend a love that isn’t earned by our performance or position?

    This struggle is precisely why some of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:43-48 challenge us so deeply: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Our human inclination is to prefer loving those who love us and to pray against our enemies. This preference stems from our ingrained belief that love must be earned. But Jesus ends this radical teaching with a profound statement: “…that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” This isn’t a condition for becoming God’s children; rather, it highlights that children resemble their Father. When we love only those who love us, we reflect a natural, human love. But when we extend love to our enemies, we mirror the divine, otherworldly love of our Heavenly Father.

    Held in God’s Memory

    In exploring God’s otherworldly love for us as our Good Father, let’s recognize that He sees us as children. Psalm 103:13-14 (MSG)  illustrates this: “As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him.” Just as a loving parent, no matter how old their children get, always remembers them as their beloved little ones, God holds you in His memory as His child. Regardless of how you’ve come to see yourself, or any negative views you hold of yourself or of Him, you remain His child. God sees you as His little boy or little girl, not the person you thought you needed to become as an adult to be worthy of love.

    Imagine what it would look like if you could begin living from God’s love instead of constantly feeling the need to earn it. Think of the story of the man struggling with addiction, who felt God was punishing him and that he needed to earn his way back into God’s good graces. His turning point came when he recognized the father heart of God through his own response to his child’s confession. He readily offered love, acceptance, and support to his child, without requiring them to “fix themselves” first. In that moment, he realized God’s embrace for him was no different – full of love and acceptance in the midst of his shortcomings. His healing began not by earning God’s love, but by accepting it, beyond human standards, by faith.

    Repentance Born of Kindness

    This is why the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 2:4 (ESV) that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. It’s not fear, guilt, or shame that truly transforms us, but the overwhelming revelation of His love. We often assume we need to earn our way back to God’s full acceptance, but His invitation is to start from the fullness of His otherworldly love for us as His children.

    Consider the simple joy of a parent holding their child who has fallen asleep in their arms. In that state of complete rest and surrender, without any performance or effort to impress, a parent can simply gaze upon their child and find joy. Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIVR) paints a similar picture of covenant intimacy with God: “Let the one the Lord loves rest safely in him. The Lord guards him all day long. The one the Lord loves rests in his arms.”

    This invitation to rest in the arms of God as His child, accepting His otherworldly love instead of trying to earn it, is extended to you by Jesus Himself. In Matthew 11:28 (NIVR), Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are tired and are carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest.” That rest is found in the arms of our Father who loves us.

    Yet, so often, when our Good Father says, “Come and let me hold you,” we instinctively reply, “Hang on, let me first fix myself. Let me sort out my sin on my own so that I feel good enough for you to love me.” Imagine how that would break the heart of a parent who loved their child before that love could ever be earned.

    Reflect:

    1. What are some of the “earthly standards of love” that you might unconsciously be applying to your relationship with God? How might these standards be hindering your ability to fully receive His love?
    2. Reflect on Jesus’ command to “love your enemies.” How does this seemingly “crazy” instruction reveal the otherworldly nature of God’s love, and how does it challenge your own understanding of love?
    3. In what ways might you be trying to “earn” God’s approval or love, rather than living from the secure knowledge that you are already His beloved child?
    4. Think about a time when someone showed you unexpected kindness or grace. How did that experience impact you, and how does it compare to your understanding of God’s kindness leading you to repentance?
    5. What do you need to “let go of” today—fear, shame, a negative image of God, or the need to perform—in order to come and rest safely in your Heavenly Father’s arms?

    Closing Prayer

    Heavenly Father, we thank You for being a good Father, whose love for us transcends all human understanding. Forgive us for the times we have tried to earn Your affection, measured Your love by earthly standards, or allowed our past experiences to cloud our perception of Your perfect goodness. Help us to truly “see what kind of love” You have given us – a love that calls us Your children, not based on our performance, but on Your astonishing grace. Teach us to rest safely in Your arms, confident in Your unchanging love, and to mirror that otherworldly love to those around us. May Your kindness lead us to deeper repentance and transformation, as we surrender our burdens and find true rest in You. Amen.

    Watch the sermon on YouTube 

  • Love

    Love

    Love is about actively pursuing what is in another person’s best interests. This is the very essence of God’s character: “God so loved the world that he gave his only son”

    Love, a word we use so often, yet one that carries such diverse meanings. We love our families differently than we love chocolate or a sport. We speak of falling in love and falling out of love. It’s a word brimming with emotion, passion, and desire. C.S. Lewis explored this complexity in “The Four Loves,” highlighting how one English word encompasses four distinct Greek concepts of love.

    The ancient scriptures lay a powerful foundation for understanding divine love. In Deuteronomy 6:5, we find the core command: “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” This forms part of the Shema, a prayer recited by Jews twice daily. The Hebrew word for love, AHAVAH (אַהֲבָה), reveals a profound truth: at its root, love is about giving. This echoes throughout the Old Testament, from loving your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18) to treating foreigners as native-born (Leviticus 19:33-34).

    Jesus, when asked about the most important commandment, affirmed this dual love: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). Dallas Willard defines love not as desire, but as “to will the good of others.” It’s about actively pursuing what is in another person’s best interests. This is the very essence of God’s character: “God so loved the world that he gave his only son” (John 3:16).

    The biblical portrait of love is rich and multifaceted: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). This is the love revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai—a compassionate, gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. This is the God who loves us and calls us to love our neighbor.

    This dynamic of love creates a powerful ripple effect. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). Loving our neighbor is the visible expression of our love for God. Imagine the impact when we, as God’s people, live out this love in our daily interactions. 

    Who is our neighbor? Everyone we encounter—at home, at work, in our communities. The apostles’ letters are filled with practical exhortations on how to live out this love with one another: “Be devoted to one another,” “Live in harmony,” “Show hospitality,” “Encourage one another,” “Bear one another’s burdens,” “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.” Each of these is an act of giving, pouring out something for the benefit of another.

    To love well, we must be aware. We see this in Jesus’ interactions: His understanding of the Centurion’s faith, His tender response to Jairus’ desperate plea, and His persistent connection with the woman who touched His garment. In each instance, Jesus “read the situation” and responded with matter-of-factness, reassurance, or tenderness, as the moment required. This means looking beyond ourselves, being less self-absorbed, and truly seeing the joys, sorrows, hopes, and aspirations of those around us.

    Our culture often promotes self-absorption, but to love is to risk—to risk rejection, misunderstanding, and even being pushed away. Yet, when we give, we also receive. We also need to learn to receive love, breaking down the insecurities and hard shells that prevent us from allowing others in.

    This journey of love is messy. It’s where we encounter people who annoy, trigger, and unsettle us, just as we no doubt do to others. But it is precisely in this space that we learn to love freely, without agenda, acting in the best interests of another, regardless of their background or status. In Christ, our new identity transcends all earthly distinctions. We are called to live under a new dispensation, experiencing God’s transforming love and reflecting it to a broken world. We are His church, a light to the world, known by our love for one another.

    Dallas Willard encourages us to “pursue love,” and he also says we should not try to love that person but try to become the kind of person who would love them.” And, “I do not come to my enemy and then try to love them, I come to them as a loving person.”

    What is your next step in this journey of love? Perhaps, as David Whyte’s poem suggests, you need to “start close in, don’t take the second step or the third, start with the first thing close in, the step you don’t want to take.”

    Reflective Questions:

    1. Considering the definition of love as “willing the good of others,” how has your understanding of love shifted? What might it look like to practically “will the good” of someone in your life this week?
    2. Jesus’ was aware of the situations and people around Him. In what ways can you cultivate a greater awareness of others’ needs, joys, and struggles in your daily interactions?
    3. The Hebrew word for love, ahavah, means “to give.” What is one tangible act of giving—whether time, attention, resources, or forgiveness—that you can offer someone this week as an expression of love?
    4. The devotion mentions that to love is to risk. What fears or insecurities might be preventing you from extending love freely to others, and how can you invite God into those areas?
    5. Dallas Willard suggests becoming “the kind of person who would love.” What character qualities do you need to cultivate in yourself to become more inherently loving, and how can you intentionally pursue those qualities?

    Closing Prayer:

    Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your immeasurable love—a love that is patient, kind, and always perseveres. Forgive us for the times we have drifted from these basic truths, for allowing distractions to dim the light of Your love within us. We pray for a renewed heart, a deeper understanding of what it means to love You with all our being, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Open our eyes, Lord, to the needs of those around us. Help us to be less self-absorbed and more attuned to the joys and sorrows of others. Give us the courage to take that “first step,” even the one we don’t want to take, in extending grace, kindness, and compassion. Transform us, by Your Holy Spirit, into people who inherently love, reflecting Your light in a broken world. May our lives be a testament to Your redeeming love, so that all may know we are Your disciples. Amen.

    Watch the sermon on YouTube