Reading your Bible for today March 12

March 12: Philippians 1:7-11

KJV Key Verse: Philippians 1:11
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Devotion:
Can our love for others ever be compared to the love that Christ has for us? Whilst our love will always seem to fail us at times, Christ’s love will never cease nor fail. But what we should be doing is trying to extend our love towards others as Christ extends His love towards everyone. He has set us the ultimate example and we have to live towards that – He knows we will never show as greater love as He has, but that does not stop us from exercising our love! I am talking here about true Christian love, the love we should have for one another and not just for partners.

When we are able to show our love towards others, we get a better glimpse of our Father’s love towards us. The more we are able to love, the more we will learn about love. If we put love behind us, then we are putting Christ behind us as well.  Christ never put His love aside and we should never think of doing so either. Our love should not be for show but should be sincere and real. Christ never did anything just to show off, He did things because of His sincere love for us. If we want to emulate Him in any way, then our love should follow His example.

We must be careful not to be offended by things. I see so many cases where people’s lives have been changed for the worse just because they have been offended by something which was done to them. People carry round grudges because they think they have been offended. Just imagine how much of a grudge Christ would have to carry round if He took offence to everything we do. His grace is sufficient to allow Him to forgive us of our sins so that we may draw closer to Him. His love truly knows no bounds. His example is there for all of us to follow. If we follow His example, He will get the glory that He alone deserves!

Points to Ponder:
How things do you take offence to every day?

How many people do you show love to through forgiveness?