Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
September 5, 2023
1 John 4:12-16
12 No one has ever seen God. If we love each other, God remains in us, and his love is made perfect in us. 13 This is how we know we remain in him, and he remains in us because he has given us a measure of his Spirit. 14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the savior of the world. 15 If any of us confess that Jesus is God’s Son, God remains in us, and we remain in God. 16 We have known and have believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who remain in love remain in God, and God remains in them.
Good Morning. God is Love
When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes and resides within us. From that moment, our transformation begins. This process is as different as we are unique. For some, it is smooth and easy, but for others, it is more of that give and take or even being dragged, kicking and screaming.
Each of us has things that we willingly let go of, but then there are those possessions to which we cling. We, God’s children, are given the choice to accept God’s love or to turn our back on God. Like the prodigal son, we must make the choice to return to our Father.
Love is the foundation for our transformation. By God’s grace, the Holy Spirit is with us forever. When our life experiences cause our edges to become rough and jagged, the Holy Spirit works to smooth and repair our brokenness. Sometimes evil gets ahold of us, and the damage is great, but like a potter working with clay, the misshaped pot gets recast and transformed into a thing of beauty.
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Make me, melt me, mold me, fill me.
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me.
God is love, and those who remain in love remain in God, and God remains in them.
Loving God, We love you! Thank you for loving us. We are sinners, and we make mistakes, but you love us even when we are at our worst. Through the Holy Spirit, You bring us back and transform us into the ones you created. Thank you! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God works in and through me to fulfill God’s purposes.
Let God’s love be seen through you! Pastor Liz
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