Devotional: Align With His Heart

In week two of our series “Spiritual Alignment,” we learn why we must align with God’s love-saturated heart. We noticed that as a physical heart needs blood flowing in and out, so the spiritual heart needs love flowing in and out. The key, however, is that we need God’s love flowing in and out of our heart–not just any kind of love. God’s perfect love is the only kind of love that can cast out all fear and fully satisfy our longing hearts. When the arteries of our hearts are clogged and blocked off from the perfect love of Christ, we fall terribly sick and are prohibited from expressing the perfect love of Christ to the people around us. Therefore, we need to constantly receive God’s compassion, God’s kindness, and God’s generosity in order that we, like our Savior, might embody love. 

Questions for Meditation: 

1. Last week we reflected on the spiritual gifts that God has given us. Have you discerned your gifts yet? If you have, how can you ‘fan them into flame’ this week? If you haven’t discerned your gifts then pray and ask God to show you what they are. 
2. What does it mean to align with God’s heart and love?
3. In a day when the definition of love is convoluted, it’s important for us to have a Biblical understanding of love. What is love in the Biblical sense? What are some Scripture passages that back up what you’re saying? Finally, what’s the greatest act of love in history?
4. Fear comes in a package. The enemy brings them to us in a process. First, he brings up past failures and then he predicts negative future outcomes brought about through a tumultuous pathway. These culminate in fearful emotions. Identify fear packages that the devil brings to your doorstep, and devise a plan to kick them off the porch the next time they show up. 
5. What happens when God’s love isn’t able to flow through the arteries of our heart? 
6. One of the chief markers that the love of God is flowing out of us is if we are sharing the gospel with people. What would it look like if we all shared the amazing news of Jesus’ cross and resurrection with someone this week?