Love is Authentic
How comfortable are you being real with others?
Verse of the Day
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”
Today’s Devotional
A few of the synonyms for sincere are: pure, honest, genuine and unpretending.
Is the love you display sincere? Is it free from pretense or deceit?
Is the love you display pure? Are there any other motives for your actions?
Is the love you display honest?
Is your love genuine?
How about unpretending? Are you ever wearing a mask as you deal with others?
I think Paul is encouraging us to be authentic with one another. I used to think that authenticity came pretty easily for me in most circumstances. As I have been allowing God to mold and shape me, I have discovered that maybe I am not as authentic as I thought. I am very comfortable showing you my flaws, but I am not comfortable at all with showing you my emotions.
But what if we all dropped the charade? What can you imagine happening if we were real with each other in a way that lines up with Scripture?
Imagine this: You walk into church and casually greet someone and ask how their week went. Suppose they answered like this: “This was a tough week. I allowed stress and anxiety to get the better of me. I believed some lies from Satan. I reacted to things in ways I’m not proud of. Have you ever had a week like that? But I know that God can make beauty from the ashes of my week, so I’m here to worship Him. Would you be willing to pray for me this week?”
That, my friends, is authentic. That kind of genuine answer is love. That person trusted you enough to be real with you. And your genuine love in return would be to pray for that person every day that week, and to send a text each day after you have interceded on his behalf.
Now to the second sentence in the verse, “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” I think it is pretty easy to hate what is evil. Unless the evil is disguised. I also think we rate behaviors. It’s easy to hate murder, or that someone was killed by a drunk driver, but do we even notice when we are gossiping or being prideful? However, when we cling to what is good, the evil becomes more apparent. God has a way of exposing our dirty little habits the more time we spend with Him.
The only really “GOOD” thing I know is God. So if I cling to Him – through prayer, Bible reading, meditation, worship music, service to others – the more I will notice and hate evil. Then the more passionate I will be about replacing the evil in my heart with God’s goodness and truth.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Ask God to show you how to be sincere in your love today with the people He puts in your path.
How can you be more authentic with your words and actions today?
How can you cling to God today? As in, what does that really look like for you?
Ask God to search your heart and show you the evils that are disguised. Now sit for just a minute, pray this over and over, just these words. “God, please show me any evil that is in my heart that I cannot see.” And listen. When God answers your prayer make sure to go back to your journal later and write down how he answered your prayer.