This is the 6th of 6 devotions with the theme from 1 Corinthians 13:7
"Love Bears Up Under Everything And Anything That Comes”
THE SECURITY OF LOVE
by
Kent And Rebecca Cooley
(Adapted from John 10:28; Malachi 4:2)
We had just moved to a new location to work closely with a ministry. We had been studying Scriptures on the love walk for several months. Then something happened to test our love walk. We have come to realize that when life happens, it presents us with an opportunity to walk it out in love.
We found a house for rent. It needed extensive cleaning and repairs but it was a good house in a very nice neighborhood. We made a verbal agreement with the landlord that we would clean and work on the house and turn in the receipts to subtract from the rent and charge no labor. After two months of intensive cleaning and maintenance we turned in the receipts.
I called the landlord about the verbal agreement and she decided that she was not willing to deduct the amount of the receipts from the rent and demanded full payment. My first instinct was to argue with her and stand up for my rights. I hesitated to gather my thoughts and instruct my mind to put love in practice. I was not only careful with my words but I was very careful with the tone of my voice.
Complaining and arguing come across in words but murmuring is represented by a sound. My flesh wanted to be offended and demand my rights. But love instructs me to turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, speak with kindness and gentleness and be peaceful. These things ran through my mind in the seconds before I spoke.
My response to my landlord was, “When we came here we said we wanted to be a blessing to you and this looks like our opportunity. We will gladly pay the full rent and I will continue to work on your house until we leave.”
Sometime later, we moved out on the tenth of the month. We decided to give her a full month’s rent for 10 days. We did not get a thank you from her but we did receive a thank you from God. In less than one month at a new location and church, a man invited us to live in his home rent free. He offered us his nice brick home with a two car garage in a nice neighborhood at the end of a cul de sac. He said, “The Lord spoke to me early this morning and said to offer the house to the Cooley’s rent free.” He also provided paint and two painters to repaint the whole inside. He informed us that he was not our landlord and to enjoy living there as long as we needed it.
I have often wondered if this would have happened if I had handled myself differently with the landlord. We sowed good seed and we reaped by God causing men to pour into our account.
Part of the revelation I received from this experience is this. No one can take my blessing from me except myself. When I maintain the right words in my mouth and the right tone in my voice, I walk it out in love. As I dwell and continue in love, I dwell and continue in God and God dwells and continues in me. When I stay connected to love, no one can snatch me out of His hands.
Lord, thank you for insight, by experience, as I walk it out in love. I need to be tested to bring out the reverence and respect that I have for You. I do revere and respect You and believe my response to others proves this. I desire that feeling of joy from responding to opposition in the right way just like a calf released from his stall and leaping for joy at freedom. Love sets me free from self.
© LoveWalkConnectionPublishing Kent And RebeccaCooley
STEPPING IN THE STEPS
(Adapted from John 10:28; Malachi 4:2)
Verse:
Like a little child stepping in the steps,
I’m stepping in the steps of the Messiah.
Like a little child stepping in the steps,
I’m stepping in the steps of the Messiah.
Chorus:
I’m walking it out like You did.
I’m walking it out like You did.
I’m walking it out like You did.
Stepping in the steps of the Messiah
© LoveWalkConnectionPublishing Words And Music by KentCliffordCooley
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