March 17, 2025
Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands—all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.—Luke 6:38
There is a special joy and contentment that comes from placing others and their needs above your own. Kind actions and deeds don’t just benefit those who are on the receiving end—they also benefit you. The joy that comes through caring and generous actions produces a deep sense of fulfillment and purpose. Every time you do something kind and loving for someone else, you are blessed in return.
The spirit of the world promotes the importance of looking out for yourself first, to be self-focused, and to put self above others. But My way is to give to others without expecting anything in return. In doing so, you are shining the light of My love into the world around you, into the lives of others, and into your own life, and bringing hope to people.
Look for ways to make someone else’s day or week a little brighter, more hopeful, less stressful, and less burdensome. Take the time to notice the people around you and appreciate them, and offer them encouragement and hope. You will never regret sharing My love and kindness with others.
So these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.—1 Corinthians 13:13
Love for others is a part of My divine nature, and when My Spirit dwells in you, love begins to grow in your life. Even though love is a fruit of My Spirit’s presence in your life, you are responsible to cultivate it and put it into action in your everyday life. You do that one step at a time, with one loving and kind deed followed by another throughout your day, as you intentionally seek for opportunities to be My ambassador of hope and love to others.
You can show My love to others in many ways—through kindness, thoughtfulness, concern, understanding, words of encouragement, words of praise and appreciation, taking time to talk, taking time to listen, sympathizing, sharing the load, and giving of yourself even when it’s least expected or least deserved.
Every time you are concerned for others and translate that concern into loving action, you are showing My glory and are being changed to become more like Me (2 Corinthians 3:18). As you give My love to others, I will pour My love into you so that you have more to share with others. Freely you have received, freely give to others (Matthew 10:8).
I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.—Ephesians 3:17–19
As you grow in your faith, you develop a deeper understanding of My love, and you experience the height and breadth and depth of it in fuller measure. This gives you great peace and joy. You don’t waste time and energy worrying about how you compare to others, because you find rest and contentment in the knowledge that I love each of you personally. I died for each person and have redeemed each one, and you are precious to Me.
My love for you is personal. Don’t ever think that you are just one in the crowd to Me. I know your innermost longings, fears, and insecurities. I know your faults, too, and I love you just the same. I look upon you with love and mercy, and with forgiveness and compassion. When you struggle, when you are tempted or weary or weak, I am with you. When you are victorious, I rejoice with you.
I love and care about you, and I am always with you. Let My Spirit surround you and fill you to overflowing with My love.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.—Romans 15:13
My joy far surpasses the fleeting happiness of the world and its temporal pleasures, for the joy My Spirit produces in your life will abide with you, even through the loneliest nights and the darkest times (Galatians 5:22). My joy will be your strength in times of grief or trouble (Nehemiah 8:10).
Happiness that comes from your circumstances and surroundings, and from the things you see, feel, and experience only lasts for a moment. But My joy comes from knowing that I am your Savior and that I love and care for you, and you will dwell with Me eternally in heaven; these truths never change.
My joy is as constant as the sun. When darkness settles on your spirit and you lose sight of My joy, that is the time to trust that the dawn will come once more.
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven. ... Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.—Colossians 3:1–3
Life is all about the little decisions you make every day. Decisions of the past have had their effect, but every new day can be a new start. No matter what has happened up until now, you have a chance to make the right choices today. You have a chance to walk in My love.
Don’t waste time reliving the pain of past mistakes and wrong decisions. That only saps you of the motivation to do the good that you can do today. You can’t change the past, but you can take full advantage of the present to seek My will, walk in obedience to My Word, and share My love and hope with others.
Learn from past mistakes and put them behind you today. Forgive those who have wronged you and ask forgiveness from those you have wronged. Set new goals today. Spend your time on the things that truly count today. Love your family today. Be a good friend, neighbor, and co-worker today.
When you place Me at the center of your decisions and actions each day, your life will bear fruit that will last for eternity—and it all starts today.
Published on Anchor March 2025. Read by Jon Marc. Music by Michael Fogarty.
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