JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Focus on God’s goodness is found in Ephesians 3:17b to 19.
“And 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.”
Consider the dimensions of God’s love-
God’s love is wide, stretching across the earth from the east to the west.
God’s love is long, enduring forever.
God’s love is high, extending from the heavens to the earth.
God’s love is strong and mighty to save.
And God’s love is deep, expressing compassion for us with sincerity.
Embracing God’s love every single day will encourage us to grow on that foundation and enjoy the presence of God.
The dimensions of God’s love reveal the goodness of God and is a reason to give thanks in the Year of Gratitude.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to reflect on why Jesus came to the world.
His birth took place in Bethlehem in the midst of humble circumstances. Luke 2 tells us that Mary wrapped Jesus in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Those are the circumstances of His birth, but why did He come to the world? What was God’s motivation for sending Jesus here 2,000 years ago?
John 3:16 and 17 give us insight: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Here we see that God’s love was the motive for Jesus’ arrival, and His precious gift that He extends to us is eternal life with Him.
Take the Daily Challenge to reflect on why Jesus came to the world and be inspired by God’s love on the journey of faith.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to share God’s love with others.
When we share something with someone, it means that we are taking something that we possess and giving it to someone else so that they can enjoy it too.
God has not given us His love so that we keep it to ourselves. He wants us to share it with others with acts of service, kindness, humility, and words that tell His good news.
First John 4, verses 10 and 11 says, “This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
Receiving God’s love is the first step that enables us to give it away.
Take the Daily Challenge to share God’s love with a friend, family member, or neighbor in need on the journey of faith.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s 20/20 Insight focuses on the value of God’s love.
In Ephesians 3:19, the Apostle Paul prayed that we might have power together with all the Lord’s holy people to grasp the value of Christ’s love to our lives.
This love surpasses knowledge. A good education can prepare us for a productive career, but the love of God prepares us for a thriving faith and an eternal inheritance in His Kingdom. Jesus has made it possible to know what God’s love is because He demonstrated it when He walked on the earth.
First John 3:16 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
Focusing on the value of God’s love gives us greater clarity for living out the Christian life.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Vision, today’s 20/20 Insight focuses on the depth of God’s love.
In Ephesians 3:18, The Apostle Paul prayed that we might have power together with all the Lord’s holy people to grasp how deep is the love of Christ.
One of the ways we can tell that someone loves us sincerely is by their willingness to make sacrifices on our behalf. Jesus passes this sincerity test with flying colors.
In John 15:13, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” That is exactly what Jesus would do less that 24 hours after making this statement. Because of His sacrifice, we can call on God to save us from our sins, and He will be faithful to hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
Focusing on the depth of God’s love gives us greater clarity for living out the Christian life.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Vision, today’s 20/20 Insight focuses on racial equality.
The love of God breaks down racial barriers. Peter was a Jewish leader in the early church who learned this lesson of faith when he went to the house of a Gentile named Cornelius.
He made this statement in Acts 10:34, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.”
No one race of people is superior or inferior to another race. God will welcome into His presence faithful believers from all races. Revelation 7:9 views the picture of heaven with a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb.
Focusing on God’s love for all races of people gives us greater clarity for living out the Christian life.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Wisdom from the Red Letters is found in John 3:16.
Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and Only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
This is one of the most familiar Bible verses in the Bible. Billy Graham has said that this verse is the Gospel in a nutshell.
It is a fitting verse for various occasions. At Christmas, this verse shows how Jesus is God’s precious gift to the world.
On Valentine’s Day, this verse can be used to focus on Jesus as the highest expression of God’s love.
And on Good Friday, this verse can be used to emphasize the sacrifice that Jesus made for us when He went to the cross.
This verse can also be used to invite others to receive the gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus.
The words of Jesus inspire us to trust in His grace for eternal life in the Year of Redemption.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Eye on Integrity is based on First John 4:16.
And so, we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
We would not lean on an object if we questioned its strength to support us. There are various things in this world that may offer us temporary happiness, but they cannot sustain us or support us like the love of God. Here are some of the words used in the Bible to describe God’s love.
Psalm 36:7 says, “How precious is your unfailing love, O God!”
In Psalm 136, God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Ephesians 2:4 describes God’s love as great.
God’s love stands the test of time, carries the weight of all our sin, and never fails us. God’s love is life’s precious gift.
Walking in reliance on God’s love is a virtue to embrace for our lives in the Year of Integrity.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Trust, today’s Focus on God examines His love for the world.
According to John 3:16 and 17, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
The world is a big place with a population that rises above 7 billion people today. When Jesus came into the world, He was coming as the remedy for the deepest problem of each one of us. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Where sin is our greatest problem, Jesus is our ultimate solution because in His grace is the forgiveness and eternal life that He offers us. There may be shortages of other resources in the world today, but there is no shortage of God’s love. His grace is abundant to save whoever calls on the name of the Lord.
God’s love for the world is a reason to trust in God for today and forever.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Exploration, today’s Reason To Believe is the motivation behind the cross.
In the shame and guilt of our sins, we needed a Savior, and that is where Jesus has stepped into the world at the right time to provide the solution for our greatest need.
John 3:16 reveals the heart of God’s love for the people of the world. That is why He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Love was God’s motivation for sending us Jesus.
First John 4:10 says, “This is love: not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent his Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Because of Jesus’ accomplishment at the cross, the price has been paid. We have a pathway to get out of the prison of our shame through faith in Jesus Christ. He is our bridge to true and lasting peace and freedom, and a fulfilling relationship with God that lasts forever.
The sacrifice of Jesus at the cross is the ultimate expression of God’s love for us and is a reason to believe in God’s good news.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Relationship-Building Principle comes from Acts 10:34 and 35.
Peter said, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”
Peter made this statement at the house of Cornelius, who was a military commander in the Roman army. Cornelius was a Gentile, and Peter was a Jew. Peter had the opportunity to share the Gospel with Cornelius and his household. At the same time, Peter was learning that this Gospel was not confined to national boundaries, but would be good news to all who embraced the testimony of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
This truth could be instrumental in stopping racism today. The starting place for mending strained relations of any kind is opening our heart to the love of God.
Embracing God’s love for people of every race and nationality is a vital-relationship building principle to take to heart in the Year of Connection.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
