Loving Jesus Style

  Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 (NIV) Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. Devotion: Paul’s words in this passage feel like a gentle pastoral hand on the shoulder. He prays not for success, not for comfort, not for ease — but for God to direct His people, to increase their love, and to establish their hearts in holiness. It is a prayer that assumes something essential: we cannot become what God desires by our own strength. We need Him to guide us, grow us, and steady us. “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love.” Love is not merely an emotion here; it is the evidence of God’s active work within us. Paul imagines a love that spills ove...

  Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. Devotion We live in a culture that demands constant self‑sufficiency, urging us to project an image of unshakeable strength and flawless execution. Everywhere we turn, the message is the same: hold it together, push through, never let them see you crack. When we carry that performance‑driven mindset into our spiritual lives, we naturally assume that following Jesus means trying harder, doing more, and masking our flaws. But the gospel of Jesus Christ introduces a radical, upside‑down economy where human exhaustion is not an obstacle to God — it is the very staging ground for His glory. When the Apostle Paul begged the Lord to remove his agonizing thorn in the flesh, he did not receive an exemption from suffering or a boost of personal grit...

Scripture: Romans 15:13 (NIV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Devotion: Paul’s prayer in Romans 15:13 is one of the most beautiful benedictions in the New Testament, and it comes at the end of a section where he has been urging believers toward unity, endurance, and encouragement. It’s striking that Paul doesn’t simply tell the church to be hopeful — he points them to the God of hope. Hope isn’t something we manufacture; it’s something God gives. Paul begins with a request: “May the God of hope fill you…” The language is intentional. Hope isn’t sprinkled; it’s poured. God doesn’t give His people a small measure of encouragement to help them limp through the week. He fills. He saturates. He overflows. And He fills us not with vague optimism but with joy and peace in believing. Joy and peace are not emotions we chase; they are fruits that grow when our hearts rest in Chr...

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV) Since then, you have been raised with Christ; set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Devotion: Paul doesn’t begin this passage by telling us what to do; he begins by reminding us who we are. “If then you have been raised with Christ…” Everything that follows grows out of that reality. The Christian life is not an attempt to climb our way up to God — it is the daily practice of living out what God has already done. We have been raised. We belong to Christ. Our lives are hidden in Him. Because of that, Paul calls us to seek the things that are above. This isn’t escapism. It’s not withdrawing from the world or ignoring the responsibilities God has given us. It’s reorienting our desires. It’s learning to ...

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Devotion: This passage from the famous “Love” chapter from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians explains what love is. Paul has just finished explaining in the previous verses that all the gifts and talents in the world are worthless if they are not practiced in love. So, he continues in these verses by explaining what this love he has been talking about looks like in practice. Let’s take a look at what the Holy Spirit, through the pen of Paul, has to say about this most misunderstood word, love. Paul starts by explaining that love is patient. Our society is not known for its patience. We have microwaves to cook our food in the shortest time po...

Scripture: Jeremiah 6:26 (NIV) This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Devotion: There are moments in the Christian life when we realize we’ve been walking fast but not well. Our schedules are full, our minds are crowded, and our hearts feel strangely thin. Jeremiah’s words arrive in that hurried place like a divine interruption. God tells His people to stop, look, ask, and walk — four movements that lead to one destination: rest for the soul. The first movement is to stand. Before God directs our feet, He slows them. Israel was rushing headlong into idolatry, trusting in alliances, rituals, and their own wisdom. The Lord calls them to stop long enough to see where they are. We need that same pause. Spiritual clarity rarely comes while we’re sprinting. Second, God says, look not at the newest ideas or the...