What God is pressing into me today, is how as Christians, we should be marked by our love for each other.  God desires us to reach out into the world, but before we do that, God first wants us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ.  God wants to use the church to make the world ask, “why do these people love and serve each other unselfishly, even to their own detriment at times”?  That kind of love flies in the face of worldly wisdom to seek after your own good, and will by the grace of God, draw many to ask the question of us, “what is the hope that is in you?” (1 Peter 3:15) Our answer will come from Psalms 39:7 – “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”

I hope as you dig in the Word, God becomes more beautiful to you day by day.  I hope that your trust in Christ’s death as the final payment for all your sin, past, present and future, will deepen, bringing you greater peace day by day.  I hope that your trust in Christ’s resurrection, gives you a wellspring of hope in your heart that overflows into acts of service and love to those around you, especially your brothers and sisters in Christ.  That’s my prayer for each of you, and myself.  I hope the verse below will be held in your mind to meditate on, and will be an encouragement to you throughout today.

^{Galatians 5:13-14} “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”