Today's Guest Devotional is written by Mike Loveridge, assistant pastor at Manor Park Church
Because of Your Love
The song for this week is ‘Because of Your Love’ by Phil Wickham. You can listen to the song here. Like previous weeks, I suggest you listen to the song, dwell on the words and then read through my brief comments. I hope this song blesses you as it has me.
Jesus You endured my pain
Saviour You bore all my shame
All because of Your love
All because of Your love
Maker of the universe
Broken for the sins of the earth
All because of Your love
All because of your love
Because of Your cross my debt is paid
Because of Your blood my sins are washed away
Now all of my life, I freely give
Because of Your love
Because of Your love I live
Innocent and holy King
You died to set the captives free
All because of Your love
Lord You gave Your life for me
So I will live my life for you
All because of Your love
All because of Your love
Because of Your cross my debt is paid
Because of Your blood my sins are washed away
Now all of my life, I freely give
Because of Your love
Because of Your love I live
You did it for me, You did it for love
It's Your victory, Jesus You are enough
I wonder how many of you have ever taken a love language test to see how you show and receive love? It was a man called Dr Gary Chapman who invented this test and he came up with five ways in which we show or receive love. They are:
1. Words of affirmation
2. Quality time
3. Gifts
4. Acts of service
5. Physical touch
The results of this test can often be quite
revealing. If one person doesn’t feel loved by another it can sometimes be
because they are simply not speaking the same ‘love language’. Perhaps one
person might try to show their love by giving expensive gifts. Well, they’ll be
wasting their money if the recipient feels most loved when they spend quality
time with others. It’s worth saying that this test is certainly not fail proof
but it can be a good guide.
The song we are looking at today speaks of the
greatest act of love ever shown. If this love was run through the love
languages test it would come out as an act of service. What is the greatest act
of love ever? It’s the death of Jesus upon the cross. A death in which he gave
himself up for us to forgive our sins, to pay our debt and to give us life
again. Jesus’ death on the cross was an act of service that none of us
deserved. Whilst we were busy despising and ignoring God, he died on a cross
for us. We didn’t earn it. We aren’t worthy of it but because His love for us
is so great He choose to do it for us.
God’s great love for his people is one of the
foundational themes of the Bible and we are reminded of it again and again as
we read God’s word. Here are just two great verses that remind us of how loved
we are:
Romans
5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in
this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 3:16 - This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
Through His death on the cross Jesus won us our salvation and won the victory over death for all who have faith in Him. Ephesians 2:8 shows us this when it says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”. From this verse we could say that the death of Jesus is not only an act of service but also a gift. Through his death He offers us the gift of eternal life.
This song also reminds us of who Jesus is. Jesus is the maker of the universe and a Holy king and yet despite his position, power and authority he was willing to die for little old me. He was broken and died so that the just punishment for all of my wrongdoing could be paid for. It’s a payment I never could have made.
It is then in gratitude and because Jesus paid our debt and washed us clean that we desire to freely give all of our life to Jesus and worship him. It’s the reason we live a life as strangers here on earth, resisting the temptations and desires of this world and instead seeking to live a life that honours, glorifies and displays Christ on this earth. It is because of Jesus that we live with hope and joy as our future is certain.
Prayer for today
Our loving heavenly Father,
We thank you for Jesus. Thank you that the maker of the universe and Holy King was willing to step down into our broken world to live the life we never could and to die upon the cross to pay the debt for all of our sin. Thank you that through faith in Jesus we can have the hope and joy of an inheritance that will never fade, perish or spoil.
We ask today that you will show us where in our lives we are living for this world and not for you. Give us the power through your Holy Spirit to let go of all worldly things and fix our eyes upon you.
We pray all this in Jesus’ name
Amen.
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