God's Heart Doesn't Stop with Us
Weekly Overview:
One of the greatest privileges as a child of God is that we can have the heart of our heavenly Father. We don’t have to wonder how he feels about us. We don’t have to wonder if he will guide us. We don’t have to question whether he loves us or cares about us. Through the Holy Spirit we have continual, free access to the heart of God. May your relationship with God go deeper and become freer as we learn how to have God’s heart this week.
Scripture:
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7
Devotional:
As wonderful and life-giving as it is to access the heart of God for ourselves, having God’s heart isn’t meant to stop with us. His heart is meant to fill us, empower us, and transform us to live in such a way that we are light in the darkness. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
As a believer you can reveal the heart of God to others. You’ve been given access to a deep, revelatory knowledge of God’s love that you might shine the light of God’s goodness to a world that only knows darkness. You can reveal the heart of God through the way you honor rather than speaking ill. You can represent the humility of Jesus by serving rather than being self-seeking. You can reveal God’s grace by offering compassion when others treat you poorly. And you can display the courage that comes from a true understanding of God’s unconditional love by living authentically rather than building up a false image.
You were made to share God’s heart. You were made to co-labor with him in seeing the gospel be proclaimed and bear fruit in the lives of others. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” God has work prepared for you today. Look for opportunities to share what God is doing in your life. Look for ways you can be a reflection of the aspects of God’s heart he’s revealing to you. Don’t let the love of God be contained to you like a secret, but share it freely, knowing that his love never runs out and is what every human heart is searching for.
Take time in guided prayer to allow God to fill you with passion to reveal his heart to a world in desperate need of restored relationship with him.
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on the importance of sharing God’s heart with the world. Allow Scripture to fill you with a desire to be a reflection of God’s heart.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
2. What aspect of God’s heart can you share with someone today? What part of God’s character can you reflect to the world around you?
3. Ask the Holy Spirit to put a person or group of people on your heart that he wants you to love well today. Ask him how he wants to use you to reveal the heart of God. Journal his response.
An important aspect of sharing God’s heart is trusting in faith that he will use you. When you choose to live a life co-laboring with your heavenly Father you get to experience the supernatural. It’s miraculous when people choose to accept Jesus. It’s astounding when our service, compassion, and love tears down walls around people’s hearts that they might be more open to God. Don’t just live a normal life today. Allow God to use you by sharing his heart. May your day be filled with wonder and awe at your heavenly Father who uses you in mighty and powerful ways.
Extended Reading: 1 John 4
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