Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
“Charity never fails”
1Corinthians 13:8
Paul told us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed into the image of Christ (Rom. 12:2). This is done through faith, but only through faith as it “works by love” (Gal. 5:6). If we are ever to become like Jesus, it will be done as we are showing the love of God to others.
When the love of God is received and put into action, it not only affects the people to whom it is shown, it also affects those who are showing it. God’s love molds the people it uses, and it shapes their spirits to be like the One it comes from: holy and pure and faithful. God’s love never fails to do this. Put the love of God into action with your neighbors and friends-and enemies-and you will feel something working within your own heart.
The love of God in action never fails because its object, God, never fails. The love of God flows from God, and once it enters a human heart, it returns to God. It never fails to accomplish what it is sent to do, though many have failed to realize its value and have refused it when it was offered.
For the most part, people reject God’s love because they do not want to change. Everyone who meets with the love of God can sense that it is a life-changing power, and some love themselves too much to yield to the loving hand of God. When people do evil, the love of God has not failed; rather, people have failed to embrace it. When God’s children go astray, the love of God has not failed; rather, those saints have failed to put into action the love of God that is in their hearts. They have hidden that great light under the heavy, thick barrel of self-will.