Daily Power #32

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Tim. 1:5)

Back when I was in high school, I always dreaded February. The whole pressure of Valentine’s Day felt like too much—especially too much money. I’m not proud of this, but I was the kind of guy who would break up with his girlfriend on February 12th and then miraculously reconsider and make up on February 15th. Sad, I know—and not very loving.

While February has become associated with love, mostly because of all the hearts and flowers, we know that God calls us to love others daily. Although Jesus remains our perfect model for loving, I’m grateful we have verses like today’s to break it down. Clearly, in order to fulfill God’s command to love, we need a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

Having a pure heart requires devotion to knowing God and obeying his commands. We don’t have to be perfect; we just need to rely on God as the source of our daily power. A good conscience reminds us when we’ve sinned and are going astray. Knowing that our Father is quick to forgive us when we confess, we keep our conscience clear by asking for God’s forgiveness when we sin.

Finally, having a sincere faith means we trust God with all our hearts—we give him our lives and hold nothing back. We don’t play games, pursue self-righteousness, or pretend to have our lives together. We rely on God and follow Jesus as our example.

Following God’s recipe, we discover the power to love every day of the year.

Power Lift

Dear God, you loved me first and are the source of all love. As I start this new month, help me rely on you as my power source for loving others around me.