You Should Reciprocate: Gospel Today Devotional - 13th February, 2024

There is this popular saying, 'respect is reciprocal', and I  heard that a lot while growing up, and I still do. I also believe you may have heard that too. What that means is that respect births respect. It means that if I want you to show some respect to me as a person, I also must accord you the needed respect, are you with me? I cannot say to respect me when I do not do so to you. This doesn't necessarily mean I have to be older than you or you have to be older than I am. You should accord to me the same respect I have accorded to you irrespective of that which binds us. Praise God.

You Should Reciprocate: Gospel Today Devotional - 13th February, 2024

If you watch couples for example, quite a number of them, you would discover that each time the statement, 'I love you is made by either the husband to the wife, or the wife to the husband, it is very much expected that the person to whom that statement was made replies back most times with such a statement, right? Something like this, 'I love you too, isn't it? What do you think is responsible for that? It is because the husband or wife must reciprocate (give back, respond to what has been said, given, done by someone) that which he or she receives from his/her spouse. This means that I do not expect you to remain silent when as your husband I make the statement, 'I love you'.

In fact, it is because I want you to tell me the same thing when I tell you that, that's the reason I'll make such a statement. I want the love, and affection to be reciprocated (to be given back) just as you have been given. Hallelujah. I believe now we understand what it means to reciprocate, isn't it? This is the focus, and the emphasis of our study today, how that as believers, we need to give back that which we have been given, and this time not by the wife or the husband, but as it were, by God himself. Praise God. Below is the passage of scripture under consideration, and I trust the Lord to speak his words to us. Amen.

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another". ( 1 John 4:10,  11).

In the kingdom of God, if we do not understand how things operate, and by what government it runs, or what administration is in place, we may likely feel or think that the things done are very abnormal, and highly illogical. You agree, don't you? Perhaps you are yet to get my point. It is in the kingdom of God that we are being instructed to forgive those who wrong us, and live as though they have done nothing. It is in this kingdom we are taught to love our enemies rather than hate them; to give them food, and drink. So you see, this kingdom works in ways very different from the system of the world, and this is the reason at salvation, there has to be a transformation so you can align completely to the dealings of the kingdom. Praise God.

What the norm suggests is that if I love you, you must love me too. If I give you something you must give me too.

However, the scripture in our anchor text records that love was best explained by God (herein is love), that he didn't wait for us to love him, and that even when we didn't know him, and possibly didn't love him, he first loved us, and gave his only begotten Son as a sacrifice, and an atonement (propitiation) for our sins (paraphrased). Isn't that wonderful? That someone would love you regardless of your shortcomings, your person, your actions, and wouldn't mind if you reciprocated it to him or not, but still went ahead to give his Son as an atonement for an offence you committed? It must really be serious. Hallelujah. It is just as it is. God is love, and you do not expect him to act against his nature, do you? He loves regardless of what you might have done, or you are currently doing. He however hopes that you will get to see this, and understand how much he does care about you.

He loved us first before we loved him. In fact, our knowledge of his love is the reason we love him. How can someone love me so much? This is what we ask ourselves that we sometimes cannot help but cry, and appreciate him. The point today is this, and according to the anchor text, that just as we were loved of God, and this brought us to him, we should also reciprocate this love, yes to God, but also to others. Do you know why? Because in this kingdom, we conquer through love. We can preach to an unbeliever through love, and that melts his heart, a brother in the faith who has erred can be restored through love. Through love, we show forth the nature of God at work in us. We were loved by God so that having understood how much he loved us, we would reciprocate such love. Tell me, what becomes of your faith if you do not give back to others the love you have received from God. This much he demands from you, will you do as he says? The Lord help us in Jesus' name.

Thought for the Day

You are to show to others love just as you have received from God. You are to give back to others that which God has given to you. Love your brethren.

Gospel Today is a comforting, exhorting, edifying and inspiring devotional published by the Delightsome Land Christian Ministry. For questions, enquiries/testimonies, please call/WhatsApp: 08174915361, 08053662272 or Email: [email protected].

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