Daily Affirmations - Day 4 - The Greatest of These - Supreme Love
- Alisa B.
- Oct 7
- 2 min read
Day 4: Supreme love
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that” (Luke 6:32-33).
Lord God Almighty, You are our perfect heavenly Father, compassionate and gracious... slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (Psalm 86:15). You desire that we look like You (Matthew 5:48). But we are painfully aware of our human emotions, our human logic, our human limitations.
And yet, Lord You do not call us to an impossible standard of perfection. You call us to conform ourselves to the example of Christ— to be pure in You, holy in You, righteous in You, complete in You. And to love like You.
The standard You have given us is unlike any in our human experience, but it is one You have demonstrated in radical application: Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:7-8).
It is from this supreme example of love that You challenge Your followers: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48).
Lord, teach us to love as You have loved us (John 13:34); to forgive as we have been forgiven (Matthew 6:12, 14). This is a colossal standard. We dare not love little, for we have been forgiven much (Luke 7:47).
Help us to follow God's example, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:1-2).
Jesus, we cannot do this on our own. Help us, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, to love in the face of hate and hostility, to forgive in the pain of wrong, to show kindness and compassion in the sting of ingratitude. Help us to show the world a difference; to show ourselves to be Your disciples, and children of our Father in heaven.
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