Give God Away
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 ESV
Series: Love: For the Sake of Others
Devotional: 5 of 5
On June 1, 1930, Frank Laubach wrote a letter to his father while serving as a missionary to Moros, a Muslim tribe on Mindanao. In his letter, he detailed a discovery that profoundly impacted his desire to live his life moment-by-moment in the presence of God. So what did he discover? "I must talk about God, or I cannot keep Him in my mind. I must give Him away in order to have Him." Those words are just as true today as they were almost a hundred years ago.
So how exactly do we give God away?
First, we need to be reminded how important we are to God. Scripture tells us that all people are marked with the image of God, created as unique individuals in His image. Please know that you are chosen by God (John 15:16), a beloved child of God (1 John 3:1), a friend of Jesus (John 15:15), God's work of art (Eph. 2:10), and are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Each of these references represents a truth that you, me, and so many lost in darkness need to hear, many for the first time.
Second, you have a unique testimony to tell. Think about it. No one who has ever lived has experienced life as you have. Your experience is unique: the time in history in which God ordained you to live, your family upbringing, your relationships, and your contribution to society. All of that and more has culminated into a unique testimony that others need you to tell.
Last, your story is part of God's larger story of redemption. Along your faith journey, you have walked where others are now, and God wants to use you as their guide. As you go throughout your day, ask God to open your eyes to recognize the moments He is calling you to speak life into another soul.
Consider one final thought from M. Robert Mulholland Jr. as we wrap up this series. "Everything that God has done, is doing and ever will do in our lives to conform us to the image of Christ (which is the image of our wholeness) is not so that we may someday be set in a display case in heaven as trophies of grace. All of God's work to conform us to the image of Christ has as its sole purpose that we might become what God created us to be in relationship with God and with others." His words point us back to Jesus' words from the Gospel of Mark when He said, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)
OnThe3rdDay Devotionals
Devotionals that illustrate Biblical principles in a simple and short format that can be applied to your everyday life.
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