Week Three Devotional: The Reward of Love
Read
Chapter Three (Crazy Love) and Chapter Six (When You’re in Love)
Listen to THE BETTER THING (Lyrics below)
Reflect
In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus tells us a parable of a man who had two sons: the younger was trapped in rebellion and related to his father based on what he could receive; the elder, was caught in religion and related to his father based on what he could earn.
Read and reflect on Luke 15:11-32. We have a little bit of both sons in us. In what areas are you like the younger son and the elder son?
In Chapter 3, Francis writes: “The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time. He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him — and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by.”
“Over time I realised that when we love God, we naturally run to Him—frequently and zealously. Jesus didn’t command that we have a regular time with Him each day. Rather, He tells us to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ He called this the “first and greatest commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38). The results are intimate prayer and study of His Word. Our motivation changes from guilt to love.”
Matthew 26:6-13 gives us a picture of wholehearted love and devotion. Pause to read and reflect on this passage.
In what areas, have you been guilty of doing the bare minimum “to get by”?
Do you relate more to God out of duty or delight? How can you cultivate “reverent intimacy”in your relationship with Jesus?
In your life, what would it look like to love Jesus extravagantly, like the woman in Matthew 26?
Realign
Ephesians 3:14-19 | For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Our love for Him always comes out of His love for us. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Do we love God who is everything or do we just love everything He gives us?
It takes God to love God. On our own, we are just incapable to fully love God unless He helps us. Take time to pray through this apostolic prayer, asking God to root and ground your heart in His love, that you might know His love and be filled with His fullness, and to help you love Him.
Respond
Many of us would have asked or been asked this question before: What is your 5 (or 10, 20, etc.) year plan? The goal of the question is to work intentionally towards the achievement of that vision. It’s ironic, though, that even though Scripture shows us that we are to guard our heart diligently (Proverbs 4:23), very few of us have a vision for our heart. One of the most transformative questions I have been asked is this: what is your heart vision? In 10, 20, or 30 years from now, where do you want your heart to be?
Take some time in prayer to dialogue with the Lord and ask Him to give you a heart vision:
For your life
For your family
For RiverLife
THE BETTER THING
Words and Music | Josh Yeoh & Benjamin Ang
VERSE 1
You are not ashamed of my weakness
You remember that I am but dust
Still You call me right from the middle of the storm
VERSE 2
You're not one to ask for perfection
Striving ceases where Your mercy starts
When You pull me right to the middle of Your heart
CHORUS
When it gets messy
In You there’s perspective
I hope I can stay here ‘cause
You are the better thing
Though I’m imperfect
Your grace is my covering
Just let me stay here ‘cause
You are the better thing
VERSE 3
Where my heart is, You are my treasure
Where the longing of our hearts will meet
Where You are is right in the middle of my love
BRIDGE
Grace still my covering
No matter where I've been
I'm overtaken
Drawn deeper, drawn in
Between folds of patience
I am accepted
In plenty, in suffering
With each day that's passing
Your heart, still my longing
So louder may I sing
An anthem resounding
You are the better thing