| Subject: Devo #38: The Gift of Love |
Author:
Gail
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Date Posted: 23:33:39 09/09/01 Sun
Topic—Lovers of God
Power Point—In order to love like God loves, we must become cheerful and thoughtful givers.
This Week’s Memory Verses—Psalm 42:1–2
Access Database—2 Corinthians 9:6–15
The Gift of Love
by Eric Wilbanks
There is no doubt about it, I am in love with my wife. As a matter of fact, the Lord had spoken to me nearly two years before we were married and let me know that she was the one.
As a youth pastor (and now an editor), I have never had much of a problem expressing myself. I worked for several years as a disc jockey at a couple of different radio stations. I used to play "our song" a lot. I wrote her notes, made cards and often told her how much she meant to me. I did a lot of little things in terms of "serving" her and being chivalrous. There have been times, and occasionally still are, when her friends and family members were a little jealous of our relationship. There’s one particular photo from when we were in college that tells the story in a light-hearted way.
Phyllis and her four other female roommates are all piled up on her bed, dressed for a night on the town. Phyllis is holding up either a photo of me or a card that I made for her, and she is all smiles. Meanwhile, her roommates are all making these puppy-dog frowns and holding up pictures of their boyfriends. In their own, fun kind of way, they were saying that they wanted to have relationships like Phyllis and I had…and still have.
Despite all of those things, Phyllis often struggled with feeling secure in the fact that I loved her. Actually, that’s quite normal. For some people, all of the right words and little acts of chivalry and service can’t really communicate in a way that they fully understand. The real breakthrough for us came the day I handed her a one-of-a-kind diamond ring that I had specially designed for her. It isn’t the biggest or most flashy diamond in the world, but it represented a gift that only I could give. Phyllis finally knew that I loved her more than anything in the world.
The world is dying to see true love in action. John tells us that God demonstrated His love for us by giving us the greatest gift of all time—His Son! We can afford no less than to advertise our love for God by giving Him a one-of-a-kind gift in return—our lives.
Now go back and read 2 Corinthians 9:6–15 one more time.
Identity Matrix—Disciples of Christ...
Know God—In what way did God reveal Himself to you as you read His Word?
Live for God—What one lifestyle change is God calling you to make?
Love Others—In what way is God calling you to minister to someone in need?
Bear Fruit—In what ways will you set the example and the standard for others to follow?
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