Week 5 | Day 4 | A Love Legacy

Command:

Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made. Matthew 5:33 (NIV)

Read:

My little children, don’t just talk about love as an idea or a theory. Make it your true way of life, and live in the pattern of gracious love. 1 John 3:18 (Voice)

Reflect:

I was given a legacy of integrity by my mother. She lived the ways of Jesus to the best of her ability. Of course she wasn’t perfect and made mistakes, but even those times were teaching moments. She taught us that being truthful and acting in accordance to our faith was important, even when it was inconvenient or uncomfortable. 

C.S. Lewis stated “Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching.” My mom often echoed those words. Her actions made her faith evident to others. When a classmate’s mom lost her husband unexpectedly, my mom reached out to her. After a few months, my mom showed up at her house one morning and told her to get dressed, “We’re going to lunch.” My mom knew she needed the courage and support to get out of the house. They ended up becoming best friends. Even my high school friends would often confide in my mother knowing they could trust her. 

Loving God and loving others is central to our faith. In Matthew 22, Jesus states that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul and mind. He then says the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. 

I’ve often thought of integrity as following moral rules in all aspects of my life. However, as I reflect on my mom’s example, I think living a life of love as a Jesus follower is the basis of integrity. If I love the Lord and love others well, I will serve them, be honest, trustworthy, kind and dependable. If acting in love is my priority, I don’t have to focus on the rules. 

Sometimes I miss the opportunities God gives me to love others, but my ongoing prayer is that the Holy Spirit would open my eyes and my heart to love others with my actions just like my mom demonstrated so well.

React:

How can you demonstrate loving God and loving others in your life today? Look for opportunities to live out your faith and honor the Lord.

Pray:

Thank you Father God for giving us the Holy Spirit to guide us toward an abundant life of love in action. Please open my eyes to opportunities to love others and give me the strength of character to act upon the Holy Spirit’s leading that I might honor you.