April 21, 2020 CAC Living Water Devotional :- LOVE WITHOUT HYPOCRISY
Read previous CAC Living Water Devotionals here
CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH
THE LIVING WATER {Jan ~ June, 2020}
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
TOPIC: LOVE WITHOUT HYPOCRISY
Read 1John 3:16-18
[16]Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.[17]But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?[18]My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
MEMORISE:
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another (Romans 12:9-10)
EXPOSITION
We are in the age where hypocrisy is the order of the day, among family members, in the political arena, and most painfully, within Christendom. We put forward what looks like a loving behaviour that does not really signify what we feel inside (2 Tim. 3:5). Merriam Webster dictionary defines hypocrisy as the behaviour of people who do things that they tell other people not to do.
Real love is in action. It produces selfless and sacrificial giving. How clearly do your actions show you really love others? Are you as generous as you should be with your money, possessions and times? Most people today know how to pretend to love others; how to speak kindly, avoid hurting their feelings, and appear to take an interest in them. But God calls us to real and sincere love that goes beyond pretence.
Apostle John gave us a very practical illustration in 1 John 3:16-18: ‘By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.’
How can I say to my brother, “I love you,” if when I see him in need, I walk away without helping him? I can tell him, “I love you” all day long, but not until I prove it by action and measure it by sacrifice, have I demonstrated the love God has for me. That is why Paul says, ‘Let love be without hypocrisy’.
PRAYER POINTS
Lord, grant me the grace to love sincerely without hypocrisy.
Lord, give a heart of real love with selfless and sacrificial giving to our religious and political leaders.
Father, return the love as in the early Church to our churches and nation.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Judges 21, Ruth 1 & Acts 24
Author: C.A.C WORLDWIDE
Remain blessed!