Excerpted from Children of the Day by Beth Moore.
We have access to the Holy Spirit welling up in us like a spring. Tapping into Him requires deliberation and cooperation so God can love through us. Like me, you've probably asked Him to love through you, then fizzled out within the hour. But here's the catch: we cannot love when we perceive ourselves as unloved.
We cannot offer to others what we don't possess.
Inviting Your Soul to Plunge into God's Love
Jude 21 says, "Keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ."
That means practicing the mindset of being profusely loved by God. We must invite our souls to plunge into His love like a dolphin romping in the sea. Actively engaging in His unending, extravagant, no-strings-attached affection for you is not narcissism — it's necessity.
It can mean our survival when we're faced with loving the loveless.
Consider also 1 Corinthians 13:13, penned by Paul: "Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love." Those comprise the three abiding priorities and enduring virtues of time and eternity. These facts alone earn each of them a distinct spot on the Enemy's target.
Anything God emphasizes, the Devil seeks to exterminate.
A Spiritual Checklist and a Serious Warning
Are you in a season where faith feels like hard work?
Is loving laborious?
Is hope circling the drain as you keep longing and waiting?
If you answered yes to all three questions, you're under a triple threat. Satan can't snatch faith, hope and love from you. You have to hand them over.
When spiritual people are down to the dregs, we often grip tighter to what we have left: our legalism. We fill up the loss with the law.
Don't go there.
Today — right now — ask God to restore you, to fill you up with faith, hope and love. All else is just existing.
Join Beth Moore and walk the shores of Thessalonica with this verse-by-verse Bible study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. During this nine week study, you'll learn how to let go of past mistakes and discover your circumstances are not coincidental — God's timing is impeccable. Whether you're facing family crises, medical diagnoses, relationship troubles, doubts, or fears, you'll come away encouraged that even though it may not feel that way, you are exactly where Christ wants you to be! "You are children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness" (1 Thess. 5:5). Read a free sample of the study.