Victory Daily Devotional

RESPONSIBILITY ​ 1 John 3:11-17 Devotional:- "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren". (V. 16).      A major character of love is responsibility. This is been willing to pay the price for what we intend to enjoy in relationship. In relationship you are either a burden or a blessing. Each party in relationship must seek to contribute positively to the growth of their relationship. 

FRIENDLINESS John 15:9-17 Devotional:- "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you". (V. 15).      One of the character of love is friendliness. Friendship is a relationship that brings two or three people of common interest together. Friendliness is creating an atmosphere for people to be friendly with us.Before God could made Abraham His friend He must have created a friendly atmosphere. We therefore need to learn from the scripture how to create friendly atmosphere.

TIME TOGETHER Genesis 26:6-11 Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife.  (V. 8)      In a growing relationship, one major thing that must be involved is spending time together. Relationships need time together to grow. It is when people spend time together that they get to identify their strength and weaknesses. It is then they can have effective communication, it is then they can get to know each other better and iron things out amicably.

HELPING OTHERS TO GROW Ephesians 5:25-33 Devotional:- "that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word". (V. 26)      A major reason God brings people together, either in groups, fellowship, or marriage is that we might help each one to grow. So mature person don't put on the negative in relationship but help others to grow. A relationship where people are not growing, they will be groaning.

UNDERSTANDING OTHERS 1 Peter 3:1-7 Devotional:- "Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered".  (V.7)      A major reason that can make us to live together in love is understanding each other. If we don't have the patience to understand others, we will conclude too early over issues and we may always be wrong. So, we need to identify areas we need to understand with people. Hasty decisions in relationship will always be wrong.

COMMUNICATION Colossians 4: 1-6 Devotional:- "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." (V. 6)      As God's kingdom citizen please understand that for any relationship to be strong there must be effective communication. A family that share together stays together and journey together. Communication is an act of sharing our mind together. It could be in form of counseling or guide. It could also be in form of sharing our mind in a lighter mood or commending one another. It could also be in encouraging or correcting each other. 

HONOUR Mark 7:1-13 Devotional:- "He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me". (V. 6)      In a genuine relationship, it will be very wrong to dishonor each other. This can go a long way to weaken our relationship. To dishonor someone is to humiliate the person or put him down as nobody. No matter how weak someone is, it will be out of place to dishonor one another.

FORGIVE AND FORGET Matthew 6:7-15 Devotional:- "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses". (V. 15)      In relationship, a major experience you cannot but do without is offending each other. It is just of human to offend others. We offend each other because of our differences and different view of live. We offend each other because of our weaknesses and our inability to accommodate others.

LOVE FIRST Matthew 22:34-40 Devotional:- "This is the first and great commandment".  (V.38)      Often time when we are deciding on what to do, we consider our benefits first. We quickly think in our heart what is in this for me? (1 Samuel 17:26). Thank God David was not asking this question for selfish reason. We therefore need to realize that the first to be considered is not yourself but love first.

PREFERING OTHERS​  Philippians 2:1-4 Devotional:- "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself".   (V.3)      This is the way of love that we look at other better ourselves. We live in a world where everyone wants to blow their own trumpet. Everyone wants to proof that they are someone. Everyone wants to proof that he is better than others. This way, we become selfish and competitive.

RESPECTING OTHERS Ephesians 5:21-33 Devotional:- "Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."   (V.33)      In any type of relationship, respect is reciprocal. If you don't respect people, they will not also respect you (1 Samuel 2:30). Being rude is a sign of immaturity. When you talk to anyone in a rude or without manner, you will receive the same thing back. These can even happen between parents and children. The word of God instructs parents not to talk to their children with resentment or anger (Ephesians 6:4).

HUMILITY Romans 12:15-21 Devotional:- "Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion". (V.16)      It is the character of love to be humble. If a man is proud, he can not truly love. To be proud is to be wearing an oversized shoe, so that people will think your leg is big. It is a demonstration of a fake identity. People outwardly become proud because of identity crisis. When you don't know who you are, you will want to proof to people that you are somebody. There is no need acting big when you are not. A proud man thinks he knows it all.

MODEST TALK 1 Corinthians 4:6-13 Devotional:- "For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" (V.7)      When love is talking, he does it modestly and not with boast. To boast is to talk arrogantly. It is to blow ones trumpet. It is to proudly talk about ones achievements. A boaster always wants to prove that he is somebody which he needs not to boast about. There is nothing wrong in talking about your achievements but it has to be done in a matured manner with modesty and not in pride. To boast is not maturity and in most cases it is because of sense of security.

SENSE OF SECURITY 1 Samuel 18:5-15 Devotional:- "Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”  (V. 8)      One of the attitudes that can make us love indeed is the attitude of sense of security. Without this, we will have jealousy and envy in the family. Where there is no sense of security people will be treating others with wicked (Genesis 4:3-8). Sense of security is when you are happy with what God has given you. You don't see the other person better than you but you are willing to celebrate everyone around you.

DOING JUSTICE  ​ John 8:1-12 Devotional:- "When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” (V. 10)      In a true house of love, there will be justice. To be just is to be fair on others. One of the reasons God love us is because He is a just God. If there is justice in any relationship, either official or non official, such will be strong and solid. This is because there is no partiality or favoritism.  God was boasting about Abraham that he will teach his children to do justice and righteousness (Genesis 18:18-19). This is what God expect of you and I too.

KINDNESS Romans 12:9-14 Devotional:- "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another". (V. 10)        The act of kindness is a singular character that demonstrates true love. To be kind is to be willing to demonstrate mercy and good gesture towards others. Not that they deserve it but it's your act of kindness. It is to be friendly, considerate and generous towards others. It is to live to share with others in their time of need.

LONG SUFFERING Ephesians 4:1-6 Devotional:- "with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love". (V. 2)      As the world is deteriorating in value the virtue of long suffering is fast escaping. The way God designs love, you cannot truly love without long suffering. True love cannot be temporary. True love cannot be only when it is well. True love cannot be existing sometimes and stop at another time. True love is actually known in the time of trouble (Romans 5:6).

DEEP FEELINGS Hebrews 4:11-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  (V. 15)      The act of loving is often expressed in our feelings. In other word, when we are truly Loving, we have emotional feelings for the person we love. The feelings may not be the love but you cannot love without feelings. The feelings are the manifestation of love in us. To feel is not just to lust, but to empathize. To feel along in the same situation with the one we love.

THINKING OTHERS Psalms 8:1-9 Devotional:- "What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?." (V.4)      What you keep thinking in your mind eventually becomes the determinant of the direction of your life. In other words, your dominant thought will always dominate your actions. If you don't put something at heart you can always forget to respond to such. When you learn to think well and the wellbeing of others, that is love.

CARING 1 Peter 5:5-11 Devotional:-"casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you". (V. 7)      To love is to care. To care is not cheap. It is actually costly. Whatever it costs to to care is the prize of love. To care for someone is to be concerned about his/her life. Everyone have enough matter to concentrate on in their lives. But when you can go out of your way to care and show concern for others, that is love. It is when we can go out of our personal challenges and care for others that we are mature.

WELCOMING Genesis 24:60-67 Devotional:- "Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death". (V. 67)      A fundamental attitude of love is to welcome others. When I say welcoming, I mean accepting other and allowing others to share with us. Several times we will find ourselves among people that we do not anything in common with. One of the first principles of love is to welcome others.

EXAMPLE OF LOVE 1 Timothy 4:12-16 Devotional:- "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity".( V.12)      The word of God commanded us to be an example of love. In other word, it is the desire of God that people should see His nature in us through our life of love (John 13:35). An example of a thing is a model that characterizes the exact look of the original.

FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT Galatians 5:16-26 Devotional:- "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness" (V. 22)      The word of God says “God is love (1 John 4:7-8). For anyone to be able to live in true and genuine love he/she will need help of the Spirit of God. Though, we have to cultivate the attitude of love, yet we need the help of the Holy Spirit to love. Anyone can practice sexual love which is infatuation or friendly love or parent and children love. But it is not by human determination to practice God’s kind of love (Agape); (Sexual or relational love) is wired in us naturally. We just demonstrate in naturally. If two people of opposite are moving closely, they could implicate themselves. The instinct of love in us catalyzes the speed of such love. But the God’s kind of love is not natural.

CULTIVATING LOVE 1 Timothy 4:12-16 Devotional:- "Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all". (V. 15)      Children of God need to know that attending church services or serving as a worker in the church alone does not make a Christian. True Christians are not Christians just because they go to church. True Christians are identified by the fruits they bear (Matthew 7:21-23). Love is one of the fruits of the spirit. It is important we know that trees don't just bear fruits, they have to cultivate them

SOWING LOVE John 3:13-21 Devotional:- "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life". (V.16)      As children of the living God the characters of love must be visible in our live. Our relationship as kingdom citizen must be characterized with love. If our relationship will be a successful one, then love must be visible in our approach to it. It is important we know that love is first of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Since it is a fruit, then we must learn to sow for it to germinate and produce in us.

ROOTED IN LOVE Ephesians 3:14-21 Devotional:- "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love". (V. 17)      The ultimate desire of God is that we are rooted in the love and that is when we are truly connected with God. The devil will do everything to discourage anyone attempting to be rooted in love. This is because, he knews that love will get God involved and love will win.

BOOK OF LOVE 1 John 2:5-11 Devotional:- "But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him". (v. 5)        The good manual and text book from where to learn the character of love is the word of God. There are different types of love but the greatest kind of love is the God’s kind of love. This is the love that has made God to endure with man from creation. This is the love that make God to give the world His only son as a sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10). This is the love that made God want to live with men eternally. 

LOVE PERSONIFY 1 John 4:7-11 Devotional:- "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love". (V. 8)        A major attitude that all children of God must grow into is the character of love.  If we are going to grow any character or habit, we must identify the source and the spirit of such (1 John 4:1). To love is natural in man because we are made like God. It is therefore the spirit we are connected to that will determine the composition and the nature of our love life.