Category: Love

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The only thing that counts

[The Glory Unveiled]

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. [ Galatians 5:6 NIV ]

“The only thing that counts” means exactly that. Numerous distractions vie for our attention and time, but they hold no significance in the grand scheme of things. Love and faith, when combined, work wonders. They form a crucial duo playing a vital role in our redemption. God demonstrated love by sending His Son to atone for our disobedience, bearing our punishment upon Himself. In response, we are called to express faith. Through faith, we consent to spiritual matters, and the outcomes often depend on whether we grant permission or not. Our faith is most powerful when driven by love. Unfortunately, faith can lie dormant when not rooted in love. Love provides purpose and velocity to God’s work. For instance, consider the paralyzed man carried by four friends who, out of love, made a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was. Touched by their love, Jesus healed the man. When faith intertwines with love, nothing obstructs its path to success. God, being love, approves our endeavors when infused with love. In the life of a believer, faith and love are paramount. Many experiences of believers revolve around faith and love. Without love, their faith confessions and attitudes may be deemed hypocritical. Let love guide our faith, recognizing that, in the believer’s life, the only things that truly count are faith and love.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for showing me that the way of faith is love. Help me to love at all times.

Wisdom_Quote: Let love take the lead in your faith pursuit.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The mind settings of Christ

[The Glory Unveiled]

“And consider the example that Jesus, the Anointed One, has set before us. Let his mindset become your motivation.” [ Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

The Lord Jesus set an example for us with His life. While on earth in the flesh, He had His free will which was independent of the will of God like everyone of us. This means He could do whatever He wanted or what God wanted. However, at every moment, only one will could be given the opportunity to express itself; the will of God or His own will. The Lord Jesus chose throughout His life to forbid his will from being expressed. He gave the wheel to God to express His will through Him in all things. He practically relinquished His right to the controls that determined which will was being displayed. He abandoned His will, down to the minutest thing and the tiniest second; whatever He did was determined by God. That is the example He left for us. If we allow His mindset to motivate us, we can live in this body, in this world as if Jesus were actually living through us. In the body of the born-again believer is their will and the will of Jesus. Each of us will have to make a choice at every point, and whatever choice we make gives permission to which will would be in control. We can choose to sit behind the wheel of our own lives or hand over the controls to Jesus, as He did with the Father; the choice is ours to make. The apostle Paul encourages us today to allow ourselves to be motivated by the mindset of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can only emulate the Lord Jesus’ example when we are motivated by His mindset. Unless we have His mindset, we cannot have his example and results. His life is the product of His mindset, which is allowing God to live through Him.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for the privilege to have your mindset. Help me to live for you in all things.

Wisdom_Quote: The mindset of Jesus produces His lifestyle.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Start with agreement

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Two people will not walk together unless they have agreed to do so.” ‭‭[ Amos‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ ‭ERV‬‬ ]

So many people want to walk with other people who have not agreed to walk with them. Inevitably, they discover along their journey that they are not headed the same destination, and then part ways. But if such people had agreed from the onset, they would have saved themselves loads of pain and suffering. Unfortunately, many times, many people assume that the other person understand them or are going where they are headed without properly agreeing or finding out their end goal. Agreement is very important if anything will grow from one level to the other and be sustained through a long period of time. Usually, agreements happen when there is clarity of purpose and that purpose is communicated in a manner that well understood and not misconstrued. To move forward, to excel, or to succeed in any field requires planning. Hence, without proper planning, no two people can move together even if they already have the desire to do so. Every future is birthed in the labour ward of agreement between parties. Nothing with a future can be sustained except there is agreement. In other words, nothing long lasting happens independently. Human relationships are intended to last through our stay on earth, hence the need for agreement. Agreement is like yoking two oxen together. Without the yoke [the reason for agreement], both oxen will go separate ways. And so, for the parties in a relationship not to head to separate directions, agreement is necessary before they set out. A husband and his wife can only head towards a predetermined goal except they had first agreed and brought themselves under the yoke of that agreement. Don’t assume, find out and be sure of your destinations.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for this eternal truth. Help me to agree with anyone You have intended for me to walk with. Let them agree with me too. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Assumption is the reason why two people heading to a place arrive at different locations.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Witnesses of God’s love

[The Glory Unveiled]

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. [ Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV ]

Anytime the visible and invisible attributes of God are on parade in the earth realm, His love always stands in the front row. Imagine a teacher setting exams for his students and then pointing at the correct answer and urging the students to choose it. That is exactly what God did in the scripture above. God gives us two alternatives to a proposition and then brings in two witnesses to witness the process. And yet, in front of these witnesses, He shows and urges us to choose the best option from the alternatives. This is a rooftop-level kind of love. God does not want us to die even though His justice has put laws in place which when broken can break us or lead us into very dangerous experiences of death. But His love is louder and closer than any other thing. You see, almost every artist likes to display their most important works. Those works are somewhat a portrait [reflection] of themselves, their values and beliefs. God, the artist of artists, did same when He openly displayed His love and affection for us. Before principalities and thrones, He announced through His son, how much He loved us. The angels and heavenly beings were astonished. They wondered at what God was doing. In fact, David asked the question that might have plagued their minds as it did his, “what is man, that you are mindful of him?” (Psalms 8:4). He took notice of how God was so distinguishably intentional about man and then He posed the question. Even creation bear witness of the love of God for us, in that they were sent ahead of us to make our lives simple and comfortable. No wonder the Bible says that we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Now, the ball is in our court. What will we choose before the witnesses, in view of God’s immense love?

Prayer_Bead: Dear Father and Lover of all mankind, thank you for the affectionate display of your love by urging me to choose life with you.

Wisdom_Quote: Love is the backdrop of God’s visible attributes.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Over and Above

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]–“ [ Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ AMPC‬‬ ]

Love is the attribute that underscores every gesture of God towards humanity. In the verses before our focal text, the apostle Paul had prayed for his readers that they may be grounded and established in love; to understand the vastness of the love of Christ. So that like them, when we understand the depth and height of God’s love, we will never doubt God’s mighty power to work in us to accomplish all and more than our greatest requests, our most unbelievable dreams, and even exceed our wildest imaginations. He will outdo whatever records there are. He will do, over and above what is considered normal. All this is linked to the power of God’s love at work in us. The working power of God’s love compels Him to do superabundantly, far beyond whatever distance our expectations could reach. But why is all this important for us to know. It is importance for our comfort and faith in the Lord. If we understand the love of God—it’s depth and weight—we will not be moved by happenings around us nor the things that seems to question the power of our God. This was why Paul prayed for the Ephesians to come to the knowledge of the love of Christ. Love covers multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8) sometimes by ignoring all allegations and accusations. The love of God carries in its multifaceted nature, mercy and grace. A good understanding of this love dismisses doubt and anxiety. Leaning on the love of God eliminates every seed of fear and doubt and provides blessed assurance and hope, with proactive faith in God’s faithfulness. Be rest assured, by the consequences of God’s mighty power in us, He is doing more than we hoped for, to the glory of His name.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for its power at work in me, doing exceedingly more than I prayed for, to the glory of your name.

Wisdom_Quote: Love is God’s canvas for displaying His glorious attributes.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Proven love

[The Glory Unveiled]

“But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us by dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly!” [ Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

It is very easy to love in words than in deeds. Unfortunately, our modern society has made loving people in words even easier as social media presents more possibilities of saying or portraying things we don’t mean and don’t relate with. Hence, there are so many illusions and deceitfulness all around. The prove of love, we will find, is not in the text of our words but in the texture of our deeds. The measuring rod of a person’s love is their deeds in defense of that love. So, love has to be proven to be true. Unfortunately, some youth take the prove of love to be a license for immorality. While the real prove of love is death. So, if anyone claims to love us, they must be willing to die for us. To interpret it mildly, their love for us should make them die to their selfish desires and needs, they should even sacrifice (die) their time, commitment and energy to say the least. Our perfect picture example of love, Jesus, proved His love by dying in our place. But His style adds some elegant icing to the cake—he died for us while we were still lost and ungodly. Imagine the audacity of His love. If we were good or trying to be good, it could have made a little sense that He was motivated by the hope of our goodness. But there was nothing in us worth dying for, yet He died for us anyway. You know, God had been saying He loved us. But then He could not just say it and end it there. And so, in order to prove the passion with which He loves us, He demonstrated it through His Son; His only sinless, precious Son for a bunch of sinners. This is a serious prove of love of a very rare love. We can therefore be assured and rest in God.


Prayer_Bead: Great Elohim, Perfect Lover of my soul. Thank you for demonstrating your love for me through the death of your Son. I appreciate your love for me. Thank you.

Wisdom_Quote: Love is seen through deeds.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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A marvelous love

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Look with wonder at the depth of the Father’s marvelous love that he has lavished on us! He has called us and made us his very own beloved children. The reason the world doesn’t recognize who we are is that they didn’t recognize him.” [ 1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

Love is the gift and nature of God. Without love we cannot understand what God is giving us, neither can we receive it. Love is the lens through which God-reality makes sense to us. God is so God that whatever He does cannot make sense to a mortal except that it happens through the sieve of love. Love is the only way the justice and mercy of God does not break us. We are so fragile that only His love can handle us in one piece. So, the apostle John tells us to look with wonder at the manner and depth of God’s love for us. He did not only call us out of the mess we made through sin, but He has also made us His very own beloved children even after that. Now, this is what makes it marvelous! He called us out of our state of alienation and separation from Him and He made us through the adoption by the blood of His Son, His beloved children. And so, He sees us like we had never broken His heart, never sinned, never offended Him. In what world, what reality can this happen, if not with God? The depth of God’s marvelous love for us—we had gone so far from God that it would cost the life of His Son to bridge the gap but God didn’t mind losing His Son for us. And now, we have been made one with the Son. This is why the world treats us as they had treated Jesus and does not recognize us because they did not recognize the Lord Jesus incarnated in human form. And so, we must be equipped with the mindset that whatever He experienced [persecution and glory], we will experience it too because we are one with Him. Then, we will not be alarmed when the world treats us unmannerly, because our focus would be on enjoying the marvelous love of the Father.

Prayer_Bead: Father of Love, thank you for the marvelous love you lavish on us and now we bear your name. Thank you.

Wisdom_Quote: Love is the gift and nature of God.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Relentless love.


[The Glory Unveiled]

After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. [ Genesis 3:24 NIV ]

God created man in His image and likeness as a demonstration of His love. And even when man disobeyed God, that loving nature of God took the lead. So that whatever God did, no matter how it looked like, was a love move. After they had eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God kicked them out of the garden so that they will not proceed to eat of the tree of life. This is because, if they were allowed to eat from the tree of life as well, they would have been eternally damned. It would have been impossible to redeem them because they would have had eternal life as well as the knowledge to do wrong. And then when the punishment for their wrong was met out, they would have been eternally under that weight. God didn’t want His image to remain under the weight of sin forever, so, He drove them from the garden where they could access the tree of life. The love of God can make Him treat us in a way that seem unloving at a first glance but the end goal will always be love. For God is love. When God take us from something that seem good, it may be an expression of the love of God to deliver us from something that will eventually destroy us. The Bible says that there is a way that seem right to a man but the end thereof lies destruction (Proverbs 14:12). And so, in our eyes it may seem like a golden opportunity but in reality, it may be a destruction. So, let us trust God in every thing he puts us through because God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.

Prayer_Bead: Wonderful Jesus, thank you for the great love of God you demonstrate and reveal to us. Thank you for making us products of your love.

Wisdom_Quote: We are the products of God’s love nature.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.