ESOCS Devotional 16 June
TEXT: JOHN 13:1-11
MEMORY VERSE: “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end” John 13:1 KJV
Love is a major virtue that has eternal placement. The reason is not farfetched: God is love and God is the ‘I am that I am’, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, the Alpha and Omega. If you go to the beginning, He is there; eventually, if you get to the end, you would find Him there. He is the Latitude and the Longitude, the North Pole and the South Pole, the Far East and the Far West. He is the One “who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” (Is. 40:22 NKJV); and He makes the earth His footstool (Matt. 5:35). Therefore, if the God who is Love personified does not have a break nor end, it means Love is meant to remain eternally. ESOCS Devotional 16 June
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
Our text reveals that Jesus came into the world on the platform of His love for us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…” (John 3:16); and “having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end” (John 13:1). Hedied on the cross at Calvary bearing the sins of the entire world: “Greater Love hath no man than this, that a man may lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). These things are very striking and soul touching. The same people that despised and rejected Him when He came (John 1:10-11), mocked and crucified Him, are the very people He loved to the end. While carrying the cross, He loved them still in such gruesome pain and agony. While hanging on the cross, He continued to love them, even with the shame and degradation by the people He loved. When He died and stayed in the grave for 3 days, He was preoccupied by love for His people. When He eventually rose from the dead on the third day, love was uttermost in His heart: “…but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17).
Beloved, what is it that will make you stop loving your brother, sister, spouse, parents, children, in-laws, neighbours, colleagues, friends, acquaintances, the brethren in your local church, and people everywhere? Like our Lord Jesus Christ, let us learn to love others with godly love without limits. Let us love others to the end, just as He did.
BOTTOM LINE: God is love, God is everlasting, and therefore Love is Eternal.
CHALLENGES
- Make up your mind to love people to the end
- Prepare your heart to forgive people irrespective of they do to you, just as our Lord Jesus Christ does.
- No matter what people do to you, ensure you forgive and still love them.
PRAYER POINT: Father, thank you for your everlasting love you have bestowed on us; forgive us of our inability to love as you do and grant us the grace to love eternally, henceforth, in Jesus name. Amen.
FURTHER READING: Ezekiel 9:1-11; 10:1-22; John 13:2-22
