Living Love by Dr. Gary Chapman

Strong Words It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save. —ISAIAH 63:1  The religious leaders thought they had finally trapped Jesus. Perhaps smugly, they brought out a woman who had been caught in adultery. They exposed her sin publicly, knowing their law required the death penalty for such a woman. Yet Jesus said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." At that, the leaders began to walk away, and only Jesus was left with the woman.He said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?""No one, sir," she answered."Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus said. "Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:7-11).Jesus had every right to wield his power and boast of his perfection that day. Yet consider the kindness in his words. He helped the accusers gain a bigger perspective: Every one of us is a sinner. It is not our place to judge another person. God is the Judge. Then Jesus spoke words of kindness to the woman. He did not condone her sin, but he offered her a chance to choose a better life. Jesus's words were quietly powerful because of the love behind them.We can learn a lot from Jesus's example. If we wait until the people around us rise to a higher standard before we speak words of kindness, we may never speak. But if we take every opportunity to show the power of kind words, God can work through us to change lives.
Thought When you are tempted to think kindness shows weakness, remember that God shows his power through kind words.

The Power to Love

I receive an email called Living Love by Gary Chapman every couple of weeks. He writes about different ways we can love each other because of the love we have been given by Jesus Christ. Gary Chapman wrote the book The Five Love Languages as well as The Love as a Way of Life and The Love as a Way of Life Devotional. I thought today's email was very appropriate..... Galatians 2:20. 

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. —GALATIANS 2:20
Most of the world's religions are based on human effort. Some religions encourage editation and the repetition of mantras designed to free the mind of selfish desires. Other religions emphasize giving alms or repeating prayers or making a pilgrimage. But as Christians, we know that we can never do good and love others in our own power. We are morally flawed, and left to our own devices, we will be inwardly focused. We will seek our own happiness and not what is best for those around us.Knowing the reality of our weaknesses, we can find great freedom in realizing that the key to becoming a loving person lies not with us but with God. It is God's love that we seek to share, not a love manufactured on our own. It is God's Spirit who pours love into us and enables us to give to others (see Romans 5:5). And it is Christ's life, death, and resurrection that give us a new perspective on life. That radical perspective focuses not on self but on our Creator. We have more than enough love to offer others because behind everything that exists in the universe is a personal God who loves us and wants to express his love through us.
Prayer Holy Spirit, I want to receive your love and express that love to others.