Controlled by Love
Controlled by Love
Ephesians 5:2 GNT
“Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.”
Apostle Paul gives a mandate to the people in book of Ephesians 5 as he addresses them. He goes on to encourage and say that they should make sure their life is not controlled by the goals, ambitions, desires, ministry, etc, instead it should be controlled by love.
Jesus wants our life to be controlled and chained by love in everything we do and say. The opposite of love is not necessarily hate. The opposite of love is selfishness. When we do something, we look for how it would benefit us.
You need to ask yourself this question, “How can I love better?”, how can I love better, if I pickup this job/company? , how can I love better if I focus in the ministry ?
Here’s the reason Paul gives this command to be controlled by love. The verse Ephesians 5:2 (just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us) explains Jesus did not simply love us and give gifts or blessings to us. The verse says He gave His ‘life’ for us. That is the true definition of love. If you love the people God has placed your life, you should be willing to give your life for them.
Further the verse (as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.”) explains that Jesus’ love was a sweet-smelling offering, an incense and a sacrifice that pleased God.
I want to remind you, as you let your life be controlled by love, your life will become a life that is a sweet smelling offering and sacrifice that will please God. If there is no love in your ministry, house, work, in everything you do then, your life would be a stinking sacrifice to God.
However, if there is true, genuine, deep, sacrificial kind of love in your offering, ministry, conversations then your life will be a sweet smelling sacrifice to God.
Prayer for encouragement: Father, I pray and ask you to give us the grace to live our lives controlled by Agape love, not by human conditional, selfish kind of love but by Agape love. Let our intentions be of love, let our motivations be because of love, let our agendas be to be loved, to love people. Lord, let our dreams and ambitions be controlled by love for you and for the people you have placed around. Help us to get rid of all selfishness, self-oriented living. Help us to die to ourselves, lay down ourself so that we can live towards our purposes, so that we can be a sweet smelling offering and sacrifice that would please You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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Psalm 147:2–3 reveals God's heart as a Restorer rather than a Punisher. Although Israel went into exile because of its own rebellion, God did not abandon His people. Instead, He promised to restore Jerusalem, bring the exiles home, heal the brokenhearted, and bind up their wounds.
The message reminds us that while God may use friends, pastors, counselors, or loved ones to help us, true healing and restoration ultimately come from the Lord. His restoration reaches every part of our lives—our hearts, relationships, health, finances, emotions, and spiritual walk.
God knows every wound, including those hidden from others. Unlike people, who can only comfort from the outside, He sees the deepest parts of our hearts and heals completely. His healing is so complete that even the scars of past pain lose their power to define us.
The devotion encourages believers to fix their eyes on God instead of relying solely on human help. No matter how far someone has drifted, how many mistakes they have made, or how broken they feel, God is still calling them back. His desire is to restore, heal, and make all things beautiful in His perfect timing.
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