Writing Bad Checks
Theme of the week: Gutsy Love
Thursday, May 31, 2012
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their hearts aren't in it. Because they act like they're worshiping me but don't mean it. (Isaiah 29:13, The Message) Dig Deeper: James 1:22-25
Real love cannot be scheduled or rationed, and it never comes with conditions attached. If our habit is to love God only in the convenience of a Sunday church service and then congratulate ourselves for our supposed devotion, we're in for a shock. For that may not be love at all. The same applies to the person who will give to God only when everything is working out favorably.
If we say we love God yet stay away from the altar when the journey gets tough, confusing, or complicated, our devotion is very shallow. We can put no conditions on our offerings to God, for he makes no deals and accepts no bribes. Real love makes no disclaimers in the fine print. It has no escape clauses or money-back guarantees. It is faithful, vulnerable, and all consuming—flowing willingly and totally from our hearts, our lips, and our lives.
Declarations of love without the accompaniment of obedience are an un-cashable check. There appears to be a signature, and at first glance the words and figures all seem to agree, but in reality, the funds are lacking and the account is empty. These empty declarations are worth nothing more than the paper they are written on.
—Matt Redman in Mirror Ball
My Response: Do my actions and heart reflect my love for God? If not I will repent and seek to love him more.
Thought to Apply: We belittle God when we go through the outward motions of worship and take no pleasure in his person.—John Piper (pastor, writer)
Adapted from Mirror Ball (David C. Cook, 2011) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.
Copyright © 2012 by Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity. 1 of 1
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Lord, teach me to love sacrificially as you loved me; let your love fuel my own.
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