Grow Devotes | Grow Churches

True Love is Selfless

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13 True love is selfless. We see true love demonstrated through the selfless living of Jesus Christ. 1. Jesus has shown us His love by choosing to leave glory. In the second chapter of Philippians, Paul wrote about Christ’s selfless love to lower Himself by coming to earth, leaving the glory of God’s...

True Love Has Freedom

“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another.” Galatians 5:13 God wants us to choose to love Him through our free will. He doesn’t want us to love Him because we have to; He wants us to love Him because we want to. Therefore, God gives liberty for true love. Love that is...

True Love is Fierce

“For the love of Christ compels us…” II Corinthians 5:14 The meaning of the word “compel” in II Corinthians 5:14 means to be held in a tight constraint. It gives us the idea that God’s love grips our hearts so strongly that all we want is to live for Him and to reach out to others. Because God’s love is so fierce, or intense, within our hearts, we find ourselves...

True Love is Irreplaceable

“I will never leave you, nor forsake you…” Hebrews 13:5 There is only one you, and when you are loved, no one else could ever take your place. When we try to understand the love of God, we try to compare His love to the love on earth. King Solomon compared God’s love to the love between a man and a woman in the Bible book, Song of Solomon. In...

True Love is Unconditional

“Love never fails…” I Corinthians 13:8 God’s love is the measure of true love. The love we experience in the world around us is not always a reflection of God’s love; it’s often an imperfect love that is distorted by issues such as, insecurity, intimidation, selfishness, control, shame, and guilt. If we try to understand God’s true love by comparison to the imperfections of human relationships, we’ll get a wrong...

What is True Love

“…God is love.” I John 4:8 The love that God has for us is true love. His love is the standard for what is pure and upright. When a fallen world tries to interpret love without God as the guide, the nature of real love becomes distorted. Instead of being true, a world’s love lacks the fullness of love that only God can provide. The world’s love can also become...

Restoration Boundaries

“Come out from among them and be separate…” II Corinthians 6:17 When God is restoring you, it is wise to ask the Lord to set up boundaries for you to respect while He is strengthening you to wholeness. Even as you come back to a healthy position, there is wisdom in setting boundaries that keep you from becoming unhealthy again. We don’t want to become Christians that exclude ourselves from...

You Are Worth It

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross …” Hebrews 12:2 I believe there is something on the inside of each one of us that tells us that we have value and significance. It’s a knowing that causes us to search for answers to questions about who we are. It’s only natural that we would look...

You Are Beautiful

“Behold, you are fair, my love! …” Song of Solomon 1:15 When a person has gone through a soul injury, they are often aware of their pain and impaired heart condition. If a person feels damaged, lost, failed, rejected, abandoned, or the like, it can warp their self-image of who God created him or her to be. Instead of being realizing the beautiful and valuable person that he or she...

Restoring Hope

“Be of good courage. He will strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:24 Everyone has experienced inner wounds to the soul and the spirit. Some wounds are deeper than others. Some of those inner wounds could be compared to a scratch, others to being paralyzed. Some are left wondering, “Will I ever be able to function normally again?” I believe that when God restores a...

Position and Process of Restoration

“…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (respect); for it is God who works in you….” Philippians 2:12-13 Sin took us away from our life in God; salvation returns us back to life in God. Sin brought lack, deformity, sickness and death. Salvation made us whole, complete, aligned, healed and alive. We weren’t saved just to receive eternal life; we were saved to be whole in every area...

Forgiveness in the Family

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 There are two kinds of righteousness mentioned in the Bible. There is the righteous that God gives and there is the righteousness that we live. It’s never one-sided with God; our choice to participate is a factor in our relationship with Him. God’s side of...

Reaffirm Your Love

“I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.” II Corinthians 2:8 In II Corinthians 2, the Apostle Paul is encouraging the church to restore a brother who had repented of his sin. It sounds as if they excommunicated a rebellious man, isolating him from the church. Paul tells the believers not to be too severe in their correction. In verse 7 Paul writes, “rather to forgive and comfort him,...

Repentance Before Restoration

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness…” Galatians 6:1 Before reconciling with someone in a relationship there has to be repentance. Repentance means, “to turn around” or “to change.” Repentance involves humility, bringing one’s self low in surrender, asking for forgiveness. Repentance is about being sorry for making the choice to do wrong against a...

Restoring a Broken Heart

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 The term “broken heart” is referring to the inside person that has been wounded. Similar to the way the body can feel pain, the heart can ache; it can grieve. Emotions may express or not express our heartache, but a broken heart is more than emotional. It is damage or loss to the heart, the person that you are...