“...love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again...”
1 Peter 1:22-23
“Since you have been born again, love one another.” You are a new creation in Christ; the old Adam with its selfish and corrupted motives has been nailed to the cross, and the “new you“ is now here.
Let the old way of relating to people die along with the old nature that it represents. As children of God we have been created for, called to, and equipped by the Holy Spirit to love one another sincerely, with a pure heart.
The world is incapable of this. In the world, there’s always an ulterior motive; you don’t get or give something for nothing. But in the Kingdom of God, where Jesus is King and reigns in our hearts, there is forgiveness and kindness and grace, even for those who have done us wrong.
Lord Jesus, forgive me for reverting so quickly to the old, rotten way of responding to other people. Make your new creation in me strong and healthy, until my very personality is defined by the fruit of your Spirit. Amen.
Pastor Dan Giles