Conquering Through Love!

INSPIRE Devotionals With Emmanuel Afiawari Tuesday, February 11, 2025 Topic: CONQUER THROUGH LOVE! Memory Verse: ‭‭ "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good" - Romans 12:9 NKJV Bible Text:  ‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭ Romans 12:17‭-‬18 NKJV 17. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men INSPIRATION: There's no better time than now to echo Jesus's instructions on love. Love your neighbour as yourself, he says. But before we do this, we must first love God with all our heart, mind and strength. When we commit to or subscribe to God-kind of love, loving others come easy. When we do love in God's way, the desire to repay evil for evil dies naturally. True love causes our bowels of mercy to overflow with meekness and compassion that wells up in excess from deep within our hearts. It then makes living peaceably with others come easily. Why is this so? Paul lists certain characteristics of love: "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth* (1 Cor. 13: 4 - 6) "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Cor 13: 7). Whoever cultivates and develops the traits above by which love is defined has developed characteristics that make him a conqueror. Love will task your resolve but it will build your resilience, build your ability to forgive and place you at advantage over others. Love conquers all. TODAY'S TAKE HOME: Develop God's kind of love. Demonstrate genuine love towards others. Weigh and benchmark every of your actions on God's definition of love. PRAYER: Dear Lord, teach me how to genuinely love others with God's kind of love. Cause your love to be shed abroad richly in my heart, so that my life reflects the nature of Christ's love wherever you go, in Jesus name.