This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
1 John 3:16a
We are mistaken when we think that having a relationship with God is all about belonging to the right team, or saying or thinking the right things about Jesus, or holding fast to his ideas, while keeping his good moral code. No, as Gil Wesley says, “These things are fine, but they can get in the way of the relationship.” Amen, to that. And it is why you can and should welcome trials as friends. Because suffering dismantles all those “right things” and forces you to be real with yourself and with God. A relationship with Christ is about much more than believing or even doing the right thing. It is falling in love with your Savior who suffered everything so you might know him. So show him the respect due him. Love Christ, not for the things for which he stands. Love him because he loved you on the cross.
This inspiring, year-long devotional by Joni Eareckson Tada, focuses on your Heavenly Father, how He cares for you every day, and how His love enables you to live as a spectacle of His glory.
