Rooted in Love: Transforming Hearts in Darkness

Devotional

Day 1: God’s Love Is Deeper Than Our Definition

God’s love is not limited by our cultural understanding or personal preferences; it is a radical, benevolent, and unconquerable love that seeks the highest good for others—even those who insult, injure, or oppose us. This love is not merely a feeling but a deliberate choice, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to desire and act for the good of all people, including our enemies and those who are difficult to love. Unlike the shallow or self-serving definitions of love often found in society, God’s love is rooted in His very nature and calls us to reflect that same love in our words, actions, and attitudes. [45:58]

Galatians 5:13-26 (ESV)
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Reflection: Who is one person in your life that you find difficult to love—can you ask God to help you seek their highest good this week, even if it means going beyond your comfort zone?

Day 2: Love Is the True Test of Our Faith

Love is the litmus test of genuine faith in Jesus; it is not enough to profess belief or perform religious acts if our lives are not marked by the self-giving, sacrificial love that comes from God. The world will know we are Christ’s disciples not by our words or achievements, but by the way we love one another—especially when it is costly or inconvenient. This love must be visible in our actions, our willingness to forgive, and our commitment to the well-being of others, even when we disagree or are hurt. [54:56]

1 John 4:7-8, 20 (ESV)
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ... If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

Reflection: Is there someone you have been avoiding or holding a grudge against—how might you take a step toward reconciliation or kindness as a demonstration of your faith in Christ?

Day 3: Love Must Be Rooted, Not Just Trimmed

The fruit of our lives is determined by the root; if we are rooted in God’s love, the Spirit will produce lasting fruit like joy, peace, patience, and kindness, but if we are rooted in bitterness, fear, or selfishness, those things will inevitably show in our actions. Trimming bad habits or behaviors is not enough—true transformation comes when we allow God to uproot what does not belong and plant His love deep within us, so that all other virtues grow from that foundation. The question is not what we need to trim, but what we are truly rooted in. [01:01:57]

Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV)
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Reflection: What is one “root” in your life—such as resentment, fear, or pride—that you sense God is inviting you to surrender so that His love can grow more fully in you?

Day 4: Our Words and Actions Reveal the Source of Our Love

The way we speak and act—especially in times of conflict or disagreement—reveals whether our love is shaped by the Spirit or by the world. Words have the power to build up or destroy, and as followers of Jesus, we are called to let our words and actions reflect the love, compassion, and truth of Christ, not just our own opinions or emotions. Before we speak, post, or respond, we must ask if our words are helpful, true, and filled with the love of God. [33:14]

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Reflection: Before you speak or post today, can you pause and ask yourself if your words will build up and reflect Christ’s love—or do you need to choose silence or a different response?

Day 5: Love Is Action—Not Just Emotion or Intention

Love is not just a feeling or a good intention; it is action that seeks the good of others, even when it is difficult or goes unnoticed. The love described in Scripture is patient, kind, not self-seeking, and rejoices in the truth—it bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. Without this kind of love, all our gifts, sacrifices, and service amount to nothing; with it, we reflect the very heart of God to the world. [57:07]

1 Corinthians 13:1-7, 13 (ESV)
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ... So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Reflection: What is one practical act of love you can do today—especially for someone who may not expect it or who cannot repay you?

Sermon Summary

In a world marked by darkness, violence, and division, it is easy to become numb or overwhelmed by the constant stream of tragic headlines and moral failures. Yet, in the midst of this, God calls His people to be rooted in something radically different: His love. The Scriptures remind us that God is close to the brokenhearted, and that even as evil seems to have its day, God remains sovereign and present. Our response to the pain and injustice around us is not to retreat or to lash out, but to allow the love of Christ to be formed in us and to flow through us.

Love, as defined by God, is far deeper and more demanding than the shallow definitions offered by our culture. It is not mere tolerance or fleeting emotion, but an unconquerable benevolence—a willful, Spirit-empowered commitment to seek the highest good of others, even those who hurt or oppose us. This agape love is not something we can manufacture on our own; it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work within us, the very root from which all other virtues grow.

Paul’s words in Galatians 5 challenge us to examine the source of our actions and attitudes. Are we using our freedom to serve ourselves, or to serve one another in love? The true test of our faith is not found in our religious activity, knowledge, or even our sacrifices, but in the way we love. Jesus Himself said that our love for one another would be the evidence to the world that we are His disciples. This love is not passive; it is active, visible, and transformative.

If we are honest, we may find roots of bitterness, resentment, or selfishness in our hearts. Trimming away bad habits is not enough; we must allow God to uproot what does not belong and plant His love deep within us. As we do, the fruit of the Spirit—joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—will naturally grow and become evident to all. The world does not need more division or empty words; it needs a church rooted in the love of Christ, bearing fruit that brings life, healing, and hope.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s love is deeper and more radical than any definition our culture can offer. It is not simply tolerance or acceptance, but a Spirit-empowered commitment to seek the highest good for others, even those who oppose or hurt us. This agape love is unconquerable and benevolent, and it is only possible as the Holy Spirit forms it within us. [45:58]
2. The way we use our words—both in person and online—reveals the condition of our hearts. Words can be weapons that destroy or seeds that bring life. Before speaking or posting, we must ask if our words are helpful, true, and reflective of Christ’s compassion, for the church is called to be a uniting, healing voice in a divided world. [33:14]
3. Love is the true litmus test of our faith and spiritual maturity. Religious activity, knowledge, or even sacrificial acts are empty if not rooted in genuine love. The world will know we belong to Jesus not by our programs or positions, but by the visible, active love we show to one another and to our neighbors. [54:03]
4. The fruit of the Spirit grows from the root of God’s love planted in our hearts. Whatever is rooted in us—whether bitterness or love—will eventually bear visible fruit in our actions, words, and attitudes. True transformation comes not from trimming bad habits, but from allowing God to uproot what is unhealthy and to plant His love deep within us. [61:57]
5. In times of darkness and division, the church’s greatest witness is to be a community deeply rooted in God’s love. Rather than expecting change from politicians or legislation, we are called to repent of our own lack of love and to let Christ’s love be formed in us, so that our lives bear fruit that brings hope and healing to a broken world. [64:28]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[18:04] - Entering Worship and Joy in God’s Presence
[18:54] - Prayer and Blessing Over Children
[20:22] - Celebrating Baptisms and Community
[21:20] - Acknowledging National and Global Tragedies
[23:09] - The Weight of Injustice and Grief
[24:26] - Honest Reflection: How Are We Really Doing?
[27:21] - God’s Nearness to the Brokenhearted
[29:20] - The Reality of Evil and the Value of Life
[31:36] - The Power of Words and the Call to Speak Life
[34:54] - Turning to Galatians: The Fruit of the Spirit
[36:29] - Love as the Foundation of Christian Character
[41:39] - God’s Love: Deeper Than Our Definitions
[45:58] - Agape Love: Seeking the Highest Good
[52:05] - Love as the Litmus Test of Faith
[57:07] - The Output of Love and Spiritual Fruit
[59:44] - Roots and Fruit: What Are We Growing?
[61:57] - Letting God Uproot and Plant His Love
[64:28] - The Church’s Call to Repentance and Renewal
[65:29] - Prayer for God’s Love to Grow in Us
[68:11] - Closing Words and Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Galatians 5:13–26 (ESV) — 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

1 Corinthians 13:1–7, 13 (ESV) — 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

John 13:34–35 (ESV) — 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Observation Questions

According to Galatians 5, what is the difference between using our freedom for ourselves and using it to serve others in love?
What does Paul warn will happen if believers “bite and devour one another”?
In 1 Corinthians 13, what are some actions or qualities that are considered empty or meaningless if they are not rooted in love?
According to Jesus in John 13, what is the evidence to the world that we are His disciples?

Interpretation Questions

The sermon describes God’s love as “unconquerable benevolence” and a willful commitment to seek the highest good for others, even those who hurt us. Why is this kind of love so different from the way our culture usually defines love?
The pastor said that “love is the true litmus test of our faith and spiritual maturity.” Why do you think love, rather than religious activity or knowledge, is the test?
The fruit of the Spirit is described as growing from the “root” of God’s love in our hearts. What does it mean for something to be “rooted” in us, and how does that affect the kind of fruit (actions, words, attitudes) we produce?
The sermon challenged us to examine the words we use, both in person and online. Why do our words reveal the condition of our hearts, and how can they be either weapons or seeds of life?

Application Questions

The pastor said, “Before we speak a word, before we share something, an idea or an opinion, before we share a photo or a quote or an image online, ask yourself this question, are these words helpful? Are they helpful? Or are these words simply my opinion?”
The sermon described God’s love as seeking the highest good for others, even those who hurt or oppose us.
The pastor said, “Trimming away bad habits is not enough; we must allow God to uproot what does not belong and plant His love deep within us.”
The sermon challenged us to be honest about how we’re really doing and to recognize the heaviness or numbness we might feel in a world full of darkness and division.
The pastor said, “The world does not need more division or empty words; it needs a church rooted in the love of Christ, bearing fruit that brings life, healing, and hope.”
Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The pastor invited the church to repent of our own lack of love before expecting change from politicians or legislation.

Sermon Clips

The first is that the scriptures tell us, the psalmist tells us, that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. And so as there are those who are brokenhearted for one reason or another, the promise of the scriptures is that God is close at hand. So whatever it is that you might be sensing or feeling or facing, whatever questions you may be wrestling with, whatever conflicts you may find yourself in, take the truth of the scripture that God is close to the brokenhearted. [00:28:13] (40 seconds) #GodNearTheBrokenhearted

If any person or any institution has the power, and I would also say the God -given authority to unite and to speak life and God's light into a decaying and into a darkening society, as a person or whether they share things or not as life through to a difficult time or ______It's the church of God. It's no political person. It's no party. It's no platform. It's no opinion. It's the people of Jesus who have the freedom, the ability, and the authority of the kingdom of heaven to go out and to engage in a dark world and to share his light and to share God's love into this darkened place. It's us. [00:33:30] (45 seconds) #ChurchAsLightInDarkness

As Christ is formed in us, as we yield and surrender our lives to the lordship of Jesus, what the Holy Spirit does is He then begins to work within us. Crafting and forming and oftentimes chiseling away this old nature, this old character within us. And He begins to build this new character and this new nature within us, all according to the character and to the nature of God. We are called to be like Jesus. [00:40:51] (33 seconds) #SpiritFormingChristInUs

The love of God planted in the life of the believer and flowing out in our words, in our actions, and in our attitudes is to never seek anything but the best, even for those who seek the worst or who say the worst or who do the worst towards us or towards you. [00:46:18] (23 seconds) #UnconquerableBenevolentLove

God's love, it is radical. God's love is counter -cultural. God's love is outrageous. God's love is Jesus dining with the outcasts. God's love is Jesus touching the leper. God's love is Jesus not stoning the woman caught in adultery. God's love is Jesus washing the filthy feet of his disciples. [00:51:02] (30 seconds) #LoveAsLitmusTest

``Jesus tells us in John's Gospel, I believe chapter 13, your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. I believe that to be true. true not in ancient times only, but in 2025 amid conflict and terrible news. That your love, Jesus says, will prove to the world. It's not how much you give to the church. It's not how big you build the church. It's not all the programs you have in the life of the church. It's not all the charities that you give to and go and you serve at. It's your love. That is what will prove to the world that you are a disciple of Jesus. [00:53:52] (41 seconds) #LoveProvesFaithNotCulture

You can speak, you can do, you can serve, you can give, you can sacrifice, you can have all the wisdom and the accolades of the world. But if you have not the love of God, it is nothing. So consider this question before we move on. Does our love prove our faith in Jesus? Or does your love prove a love that is shaped more by convenience in culture? When people see our love on display, do they see Jesus? or is it just a reflection of the world's version and definition of love? [00:57:27] (46 seconds) #RootedInGodsLove

But when the Holy Spirit plants God's love deep within us, it produces something completely different. It grows where there once was death. It grows life. It grows peace where there once was chaos. There grows patience and kindness where there once was only anger or bitterness. [01:01:25] (21 seconds)

Maybe what needs to happen is the church needs to repent. The church needs to fall on our faces and say, Lord, before I expect any politician to change anything, Lord, before I expect any legislation to do any good, maybe it's the church of God who needs to fall on our faces and say, Lord, forgive us for not properly letting the love of God grow in us. Our world needs Jesus, not just trimming, but it needs a heart transplant. The word of God working in us. [01:04:28] (49 seconds)

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