Beholding the Love of God: Creation, Light, and Mercy

Devotional

Day 1: From Reciprocal Love to Expect-Nothing Love

Reciprocal love is natural and good; it keeps homes and communities functioning with trust and decency. But Jesus invites you into something deeper—divine love that expects nothing in return. This kind of love mirrors the Father’s heart and reshapes you into a true child of the Most High. As a new year begins, consider habits that move you from transactional caring to generous mercy. Ask God to teach you to love those who may never love you back. [06:58]

Luke 6:32–36: Loving only those who already love you doesn’t tap into grace; everyone lives that way. If you do good only to those who treat you well, or lend because you expect repayment, that’s the usual pattern. Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend with no strings attached. Then your reward will be great, and you will show yourselves to be children of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and even the evil. Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.

Reflection: Who is a person or group you’ve quietly kept at arm’s length because you expect little in return, and what single act of unreturned kindness could you offer them this week?

Day 2: The Father Who Runs, Embraces, and Restores

The younger son returns rehearsing a speech about earning a place as a hired servant, but the father interrupts him with a sprint, an embrace, and a celebration. The ring, robe, and sandals declare, “You’re still my child,” even though he acted like an enemy. This is divine love—mercy that outruns your attempts to pay God back. You don’t have to negotiate your way home; you only have to receive. Let yourself be found and welcomed before you finish your apology. [16:34]

Luke 15:20–24: While the son was still far off, his father saw him, felt deep compassion, ran to him, hugged him, and covered him with kisses. The son began confessing, but the father called for the best robe, a family ring, and sandals, and ordered the feast to begin. “My son was as good as dead, and now he’s alive; he was lost, and now he’s found.” And they started to celebrate.

Reflection: Where are you crafting a “hired servant” speech with God, and what would it look like this week to let Him interrupt you with welcome—perhaps by taking five quiet minutes to receive His forgiveness without bargaining?

Day 3: When Duty Becomes Distance: The Older Brother

The older brother did the right things but missed the father’s heart, measuring love by what he thought he had earned. He stood outside the celebration, angry and unmoved, yet the father came out to him as well. Divine love doesn’t just forgive prodigals; it also frees dutiful hearts from resentment and comparison. “You are always with me, and all that is mine is yours,” the father says. Step into joy—not because others deserve it, but because your Father is sharing His heart with you. [24:43]

Luke 15:28–32: The older brother refused to go in, so the father came out and pleaded with him. He protested, “I’ve served you for years and obeyed, but you never gave me a party.” The father replied, “My child, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. It was right to celebrate, because your brother was dead and is alive, lost and now found.”

Reflection: Where do you feel overlooked while others are celebrated, and what is one practical way you could join the celebration this week—a call, a note, or a prayer of blessing?

Day 4: Behold with God: Creation, Light, and Love

From the beginning, God spoke and then paused to behold what He made, calling it good. Light was His first gift—opening a way for creation to know Him, understand Him, and become like Him. Humanity was then blessed and invited to behold with God, to see the world as provision flowing from His love. Learning to “behold” is how hearts are enlightened and shaped into His likeness. Slow down and look with Him; discover that creation is still charged with His kindness. [38:24]

Genesis 1:1–4, 26–31: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; the earth was formless and empty, with darkness over the deep, and the Spirit hovered there. God spoke light into existence and saw that the light was good. Then He said, “Let us make humanity in our image,” and He blessed them, calling them to be fruitful, to tend and order the world for life to flourish. God said, “Look—I’ve given you every seed-bearing plant and fruit-bearing tree for food,” and He saw all He had made, and it was very good.

Reflection: Choose one ordinary place you pass daily; how will you set aside ten minutes there to “behold with God” and name three specific ways He is providing good?

Day 5: Reconciled by the Cross: Loved as Enemies

At the right time, Christ died for us while we were weak, ungodly, and far from home. He refused to reciprocate violence; instead, He absorbed it in love to reconcile us to the Father. If God loved you like this when you were an enemy, how much more will He sustain you now as His child. Your life can echo that cross-shaped love—doing good without payoff, forgiving without leverage, blessing without return. This is how divine love takes root and changes the world, one costly mercy at a time. [42:48]

Romans 5:6–11: When we had no strength, Christ died for the ungodly. It’s rare to die for a righteous person, but God shows His love by Christ’s death while we were still sinners. If we were reconciled to God through His Son’s death while we were enemies, much more now will we be saved by His life. We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received reconciliation.

Reflection: Who comes to mind as an “enemy” or simply a difficult person, and what small, concrete sacrifice could you make for their good this week with no expectation of return?

Sermon Summary

With the turn of the year as a backdrop for new habits, this teaching distinguishes two kinds of love: reciprocal and divine. Reciprocal love—doing good to those who do good to you—has real social value, but it offers no “charis,” no transforming grace. Divine love, by contrast, mirrors the kindness of the Most High to the ungrateful and evil: it loves enemies, does good, and gives without expecting anything back. This love is not merely an ethic; it is the family resemblance of those who are truly God’s children.

The parable of the two sons brings the contrast into focus. The younger son thinks like a debtor: he forfeited sonship and will settle for hired status. The father refuses the transaction and restores him by sheer compassion—running, embracing, clothing, feasting. The elder brother thinks like a wage-earner: years of obedience should earn a party. The father again goes out, entreats, and invites him into the joy of unmerited love. Both sons operate in reciprocity; only the father lives the divine logic of grace.

To ground this love even deeper, the narrative returns to creation. In Genesis 1, a pattern emerges: God speaks, and it is; God sees, and it is good. The first act is light—before sun, moon, or stars—opening the possibility that creatures could know, understand, and become like God. Humanity is then blessed, addressed, and invited: “Behold.” God shares his contemplative gaze with us so that, by beholding with him, we become like him. Creation is not raw material to exploit, but revelation to contemplate—the overflow of triune love that needs nothing and yet delights to share everything.

The cross is the ultimate unveiling of this love. While humanity was weak, sinful, even hostile, Christ died for us. He rejected the economy of payback and absorbed violence without retaliation, reconciling enemies into family. The invitation, then, is clear and practical: behold creation’s goodness, immerse in the words and works of Jesus, practice love in community, and learn to act with mercy toward all—without calculating return. Such habits don’t merely improve a year; they re-parent the heart into the likeness of the Father.

Key Takeaways

1. Reciprocal love cannot make you whole [05:54] Even the best version of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” can stabilize a family or a city, but it cannot bestow the grace that makes a person like God. Reciprocity keeps score; grace erases ledgers. Jesus names this limitation not to condemn societal good, but to awaken a hunger for something beyond fairness. Without charis, we remain bound to comparison and entitlement. [05:54]
2. Divine love gives with no return [02:47] Godlike love acts without bargaining and blesses those who cannot—or will not—pay it back. It runs toward the undeserving, interrupts shame-speeches, and restores dignity before explanations are complete. Receiving such love reorders the heart; practicing it reorders the world. This is not naivete—it is confidence in the Father’s inexhaustible abundance. [02:47]
3. Behold creation to learn God’s heart [36:08] Genesis shows God not only speaking but seeing—contemplating his work as good—and then inviting humans to “behold” with him. The first gift is light itself: the possibility that creatures might know, understand, and resemble their Maker. Attentive beholding trains perception for love; it turns the world into a classroom of divine generosity. Make contemplation a habit, and likeness becomes a byproduct. [36:08]
4. Let Jesus redefine enemy-love [41:11] Romans 5 insists that Christ died not for allies but for sinners and enemies, refusing retaliation even when he could have ended the cross. His self-giving exposes the poverty of tit-for-tat and opens a new economy where mercy creates belonging. To follow him is to entrust justice to God while offering good to those who do harm. Reconciliation becomes possible because someone chose to love first. [41:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:32] - Year-end hope and new habits
[02:18] - Luke 6:32–36 read aloud
[04:16] - Two kinds of love explained
[06:14] - “Charis”: the true benefit
[06:41] - Divine love expects nothing
[09:20] - Prodigal: the younger son
[14:57] - The father’s running embrace
[18:31] - The older brother’s anger
[20:40] - Father’s appeal to the elder
[28:03] - Creation, light, and love
[34:39] - Image-bearing and enemy-love
[40:43] - Cross: love for enemies
[44:50] - Practicing beholding in the new year

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

Luke 6:32–36

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Observation questions

In Luke 6:32–36, what specific actions does Jesus list as “reciprocal” (love, doing good, lending), and what repeated question does he ask after each?
According to the explanation, what is the Greek word behind “benefit/credit,” and what does that reveal about the kind of “gain” Jesus has in mind? “The word that’s translated as benefit… is the word for grace… charis.” ([05:54])
In the prodigal story, what is the sequence of the father’s actions toward the younger son before the son finishes his speech? “Felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” ([14:57])
What is the older brother’s stated case for deserving a celebration? “These many years I’ve served you… you never gave me a young goat.” ([21:14]) How does the father (later) answer him about his status and inheritance?

Interpretation questions

If reciprocal love brings social stability, why does Jesus still say it brings no charis—no grace-benefit? What kind of inner change is being aimed at when he asks, “What charis do you get?” ([06:14])
In the parable, both sons treat love as a transaction. What false beliefs about belonging or earning might be at work when love is approached this way? “Both are a form of self-love.” ([26:24])
The Genesis pattern moves from God speaking to God seeing, then inviting humans to “Behold… look with me.” How might this change someone’s posture from using creation as raw material to receiving it as revelation to contemplate? “Behold… look with me.” ([36:08])
At the cross, Christ refused retaliation and absorbed wrong. What does this teach about entrusting justice to God while offering good to those who harm? “He could have reciprocated… But instead…” ([42:48])

Application questions

Think about a relationship where you mostly love on a give-and-take basis. What is one concrete way you could “lend, expecting nothing in return” this week—time, attention, service, or resources? “Lend, expecting nothing in return.” ([02:47])
Name someone who has wronged you (or whom you’ve quietly written off). What would “running toward” them with mercy look like in your context—a text, a small gift, an apology, or a listening ear? “Felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” ([14:57])
Where do you feel elder-brother entitlement—“you never gave me a young goat”? What would it look like to step into the Father’s joy for someone else’s blessing this week—celebrating them without comparison? “You never gave me a young goat.” ([21:14])
Choose a simple “beholding” habit for this week (a 10-minute walk, pausing at sunrise/sunset, or journaling three “very good” things you notice). When, where, and with whom will you do it? “Behold… very good.” ([38:24])
Plan your next step to immerse in Jesus’ words and works. Which Gospel will you read this month? How many chapters per day? Who will you invite to read and discuss with you? “Explore the teaching and the works of Jesus… study Scripture.” ([44:01])
Community practice: in your house church/small group, what is one small, costly act of mercy you will offer someone this week—childcare, a meal, a ride, patient presence? “We practice loving one another.” ([46:01])
Recall a recent wrong. How did you respond? What would it look like next time to refuse retaliation and actively offer good, entrusting outcomes to God? “He could have reciprocated… But instead…” ([42:48])

Sermon Clips

Now, what we need to understand, well, first off, is there any benefit to these things, to this kind of love? And the answer is yes, of course there is. If I do something good for you and you do something good for me, we get good things out of that. This, what Jesus is saying here is not that this is flawed love or somehow these things are bad. In fact, this is how societies are built, right? If you don't have reciprocation, if you don't have that kind of trust and at least common decency, you can't have a society. [00:04:53] (38 seconds) #ReciprocityBuildsSociety

He's probably at the highest place that he can be on his property every day out there just taking a look, right? Sometimes when I'm getting a package being delivered from Amazon, it's like, okay, is it coming today? Okay, is it coming, right? That's the kind of expectant hope that he had for his son to return. So he's scanning the horizon, looking for him. When he's a long way off, he saw him because he was looking for him, felt compassion, and he ran. This is an older man. I'm still okay at running, but not like I used to be, right? But I probably look a little funny when I run. I'm sure he did too, but he didn't care. He ran and embraced him like a son and kissed him. [00:15:27] (45 seconds) #RunAndEmbrace

They both see love as reciprocal. And both are a form of self-love. Even if you do it in the best possible way, best possible version of human love, you still get something out of that, right? And you still say, well, if this ever stops, I'm out of here. Or at least maybe we should, right? But that's natural. But there's still an element of self in it. [00:26:19] (32 seconds) #HumanLoveIsConditional

As far as I know, he didn't lend anything to the son. I don't know. Maybe the ring, the robe. I guess that's lending. Maybe I should have thought of that earlier. I don't know. But love and doing good. Expecting nothing in return. He's loving out of an overflowing love. And he does it to be like a child of God. He's been touched by the love of God. [00:27:02] (22 seconds) #LoveWithoutExpectation

What you have to understand is in the ancient Near Eastern context, what this means is no life can exist there. None. This is the state of the exact opposite of life. That's how they would describe it. So, what did God do? God created something wholly other than him because he is existence. He is life. He is love. And he is light. [00:28:37] (30 seconds) #GodIsLifeAndLight

That's what God is doing here when it says God saw. He's considering. He's saying, yeah, this is good. Next step. What's that purpose? Well, you'll see when we get to the end of this section that the purpose was to love us into his own life. To love us in such a way that we become like him. And he does it through enlightening us. [00:31:53] (30 seconds) #LovedIntoHisLife

And we see unmerited love in just creation itself. It's his overflowing love. It comes from the eternal love shared by Father, Son, and Spirit. They've been loving each other eternally. They need nothing from us. They want nothing from us. God wants nothing from us. All he wants to do is to share that overflowing love. He wants us to experience it and enjoy it. [00:39:14] (26 seconds) #OverflowingGrace

So even if you don't believe that Jesus was or is divine, it's undeniable that he was the first human ever to understand or teach and live out divine love. In fact, he even died for it. You won't see it anywhere before him. [00:43:20] (26 seconds) #JesusPioneeredLove

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