16 Mar He Chose to Love (Forty Days with Jesus – Day 1, Feb 17th)
Read John 15:9-11
Thought for the Day: Start and end with love!
Take a look around our world today and you may mistakenly start to believe that consistency is a lost art. Much attention is given to the person who makes a grand gesture and documents it as a viral moment. The people who simply do the right thing day after day rarely seem to get the same sense of attention or acknowledgment. Or at least, it can appear this way at first glance. Take a more careful look, and you will find examples of individuals who are actually committed to being students of consistency. No one ends up in the NBA without persistently pursuing a love of the game. Great marriages aren’t built without a strong commitment to putting the other first. Consistency is everything.
Jesus asks each of us to begin and end with love: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love.” The word for ‘abide’ asks us to ‘persistently remain’. For the disciples, it was easy to remain with Jesus during the viral moments of His ministry. When He was changing water into wine, healing cripples, or feeding thousands, it was easy to be part of Jesus’ crew. However, consistency isn’t about the easy times; it is about all times. The disciples learned this the hard way when they fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane and ran away during His arrest. It is hard to persistently remain! Consistency is everything, but it is extremely hard!
Jesus chose to love first and last. He calls each of us to do the same, but doesn’t expect perfection. Instead, just as He forgave the disciples, He offers forgiveness to each of us when we fall short. This Lent, let’s focus on the fact that Christ calls us to love persistently and consistently!
Reflect & Pray – Today, am I willing to renew my commitment to loving consistently? Am I willing to commit to starting and ending with love?
God, please give me the strength to consistently start and end with love in all of my interactions today!
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