1 Cor. 13:1 KJV 
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.. –
• DAILY READING Mark 13:14-37; 1 Kings 7; Hosea 9:1-16

Since declaring its caliphate in June 2014, the Islamic State [ISIS] has waged violence against anyone who does not adhere to their extremism, especially groups such as Christians. They have submitted Christians in Iraq and Syria to forced conversions, mass executions, torture and slavery. After  capturing the city of Mosul, ISIS demanded that Assyrian Christians living in the city convert to Islam, pay tribute, or face execution.  The ISIL leader further noted that Christians who do not agree to follow those terms must “leave the borders of the Islamic Caliphate” within a specified deadline. This resulted in a complete Assyrian Christian exodus from Mosul, marking the end of 1,800 years of continuous Christian presence.  There was no church service held in Mosul for the first time in 1,800 years, after the mass exodus.  However recently that has changed with the recapturing of Mosul from ISIS. 

During its terror reign ISIS, also seized and subsequently demolished, several religious buildings, most notably Mar Behnam Monastery. 

ISIS gives people a simple choice: convert or die. For Christians living in places controlled by ISIS, their profession of faith easily becomes a choice between life and death. 

And for many of them, in such situations, their love for Christ has reflected in the firm resolve to pay whatever price it takes to continue following Christ.  They have come to the point where like Paul they say, ‘to die is gain and to live is Christ.’ 

In the News, in 2014, was a case of four children, who decided to pay the ultimate price for their faith. When presented with the choice of ‘convert or die,’ they boldly told ISIS they would not convert. They said “No, we love Jesus, we have always loved Jesus,  we have always followed Jesus, Jesus has always been with us.’

When these children, all under 15 years of age refused to deny Jesus, they were all beheaded by ISIS. 
And like these children, many Christians since 2014, have died at the hands of ISIS for refusing to recant their faith. Their sacrifice has been motivated by their love for God. 

God has commanded us to love Him with all our heart.  We may not be called to lay down our lives like these people, but we have to resolve if indeed we love God more than anything else, including our lives. God created us with a heart so that we would love Him wholly and absolutely. Love for God, can be defined as a God-first Lifestyle: That simply means, God having the first place in all your considerations.  Matthew 22:36-40 says we should love God with all our heart, soul and mind. 

And when we love Him in such a way,  God in turn, causes us to become a wonder among men.  1 Corinthians 2:9 says ‘It is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him’

We must understand that love is the greatest spiritual asset of every believer. It is what defines our worth in the race of life.  Love is the greatest of all spiritual virtues.

1 Corinthians 13:13  says ‘And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.’

When you are truly grounded in the love of Christ, you become supernaturally connected to divinity; and that is what guarantees your dominion on earth.  

Love should be the real motivation for our service to God. God is the God of love. He wants you to serve Him because you love Him. This is what makes service easy and not irksome. In our Christian service, we need to operate from The Father’s love zone, where service is from the heart. Let us therefore resolve today to truly love God with everything in us. Let us come to the point where nothing can ever  separate us from the love of Christ, not even death. And like David said in Psalm 73:25, we can also say “Whom do I have in heaven but You? And besides You there is nothing I desire on earth” 

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to love you more and more, so that my service becomes an overflow of that love. Let my love for You control all my thoughts and actions in Jesus Name.  

QUOTE : 

When God is on your side anything is possible. WORDBITE 222. 

 [ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK SUPERNATURAL LOVE OF GOD]