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Day 22 – Community
A firm, solid, long-lasting community can only be based around one thing—LOVE. From love, comes respect. From respect, comes equality. And from equality, comes peace. God is love. God has shown us his heart so that we may show it to others.
“Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12 (NIV)
Although this sounds easy, our world is still filled with sin and hate.
Why? Because OUR FLESH GETS IN THE WAY. We begin to let our minds and hearts be shaped by society instead of our gracious God. We look for answers in the wrong places and then are led astray by the works of evil. From this mistake comes hate, violence, war, drugs, murder, stealing, etc. Every minute around the world, these acts are creating broken communities built on an unstable foundation of sin. It is a vicious cycle that can only be conquered by one thing.
Yep, you guessed it—LOVE.
The depth of the Lord’s love is unfathomable, and it is not exclusive to ANYONE. We are all included. Just as the Lord loves us wholeheartedly, we as humans deserve the same from one another. No one deserves to feel unloved or of no value. No one deserves to feel like they don’t belong. From an early age, the world teaches us to strive to be “the best” at everything. This teaches us to pinpoint others’ weaknesses and take advantage of them, so that we might feel superior. Living a life of pride and righteousness only leads to an empty life full of shallow relationships. Instead, we should be living lives like Jesus Christ,
focused on love, selflessness and service to others. When this becomes your main focus, everything else will always fall into place.
This is your time guys! This is your time to be anyone you have ever wanted to be. These years are the beginning of the journey in which you are going to develop into the person the Lord has planned for you to be. There will be ups and downs, but don’t lose faith. The best way to guarantee an incredible four years is to take full advantage of what Belmont is giving you.
KAYLIN CHARLTON | RA, Junior | Commercial Music major
A firm, solid, long-lasting community can only be based around one thing—LOVE. From love, comes respect. From respect, comes equality. And from equality, comes peace. God is love. God has shown us his heart so that we may show it to others.
“Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12 (NIV)
Although this sounds easy, our world is still filled with sin and hate.
Why? Because OUR FLESH GETS IN THE WAY. We begin to let our minds and hearts be shaped by society instead of our gracious God. We look for answers in the wrong places and then are led astray by the works of evil. From this mistake comes hate, violence, war, drugs, murder, stealing, etc. Every minute around the world, these acts are creating broken communities built on an unstable foundation of sin. It is a vicious cycle that can only be conquered by one thing.
Yep, you guessed it—LOVE.
The depth of the Lord’s love is unfathomable, and it is not exclusive to ANYONE. We are all included. Just as the Lord loves us wholeheartedly, we as humans deserve the same from one another. No one deserves to feel unloved or of no value. No one deserves to feel like they don’t belong. From an early age, the world teaches us to strive to be “the best” at everything. This teaches us to pinpoint others’ weaknesses and take advantage of them, so that we might feel superior. Living a life of pride and righteousness only leads to an empty life full of shallow relationships. Instead, we should be living lives like Jesus Christ,
focused on love, selflessness and service to others. When this becomes your main focus, everything else will always fall into place.
This is your time guys! This is your time to be anyone you have ever wanted to be. These years are the beginning of the journey in which you are going to develop into the person the Lord has planned for you to be. There will be ups and downs, but don’t lose faith. The best way to guarantee an incredible four years is to take full advantage of what Belmont is giving you.
KAYLIN CHARLTON | RA, Junior | Commercial Music major
About this Plan
This 40 day prayer plan was written by students, faculty and staff at Belmont University as a daily devotional for incoming freshmen. Each day guides and encourages new college students in their faith in Jesus Christ through the word of God and the sincere thoughts, seasoned advice and honest prayers of the contributing authors. May these words help you grow in your love for God and your love for others!
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We would like to thank the students, faculty & staff of Belmont University for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: www.belmont.edu
