Bold Witness in a Blind World: Day Three
Day 3: A Love Worth Fighting For
Devotional
When someone you love is being hurt or deceived, something rises up inside you. It's not petty jealousy or insecurity - it's protective love. It's the fierce desire to shield what's precious to you from harm. This is the kind of jealousy God feels when He sees His people chasing after things that will ultimately destroy them. It's not because He's insecure or controlling, but because He loves us too much to watch us settle for counterfeits when we could have the real thing. When Paul walked through Athens and saw all those idols, he felt what God feels - a holy jealousy. Not anger at the people, but grief over what they were missing. These weren't bad people; they were beloved people who were being deceived. This same heart should beat within us when we see our friends, family members, and neighbors pursuing things that promise fulfillment but deliver emptiness. It should move us not to judgment, but to compassion. Not to condemnation, but to engagement. Paul didn't stand on street corners shouting at people. He went to where they were - the marketplace, the places of everyday conversation - and engaged them with genuine care and thoughtful dialogue. He asked questions. He listened. He built bridges. When we truly understand God's heart for people, it changes how we interact with our world. We stop seeing people as projects to fix and start seeing them as precious souls that God loves deeply. We become less concerned with winning arguments and more concerned with winning hearts. This kind of love - protective, patient, and persistent - is what our world desperately needs to see.
Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God.
- Deuteronomy 9:3
Reflection Question
How can you show God's protective love to someone in your life who might be chasing after things that won't ultimately satisfy them?
“There's another kind of jealousy that's righteous.
It's the jealousy of love, the burning passion to protect what rightfully belongs to you.”
— Pastor Mike Mura
Prayer
God, give me Your heart for the people around me. Help me see them through Your eyes of love, not judgment. Show me how to engage with others in ways that reflect Your protective, patient love. Amen.