Gems of Knowledge

Today’s One Year Bible Verses: Joshua 24:1-33, Luke 21:1-28, Psalm 89:38-52, Proverbs 13:20-23

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What True Love Looks Like

There is a kind of sacrifice that feels heavy, like something is being taken from you. It can feel like loss, like you are giving up something valuable, perhaps with nothing in return. But there is another kind of sacrifice—one that flows from love—and it feels completely different.

The Holy Spirit whispered today in this Gem of Knowledge,

“Sacrifice is love. I am love, and you can be too when you are one with me. Love will become you, and sacrifice will become love and mercy instead of loss. Amen.”

In Joshua 24, Joshua stands before the people and calls them to make a choice: “Choose today whom you will serve… But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15, NLT)

This choice required sacrifice. They would have to lay down idols, habits, comforts, and divided loyalties. Yet Joshua does not present this as a loss, but as an act of devotion. It is not about what they are giving up—it is about who they are choosing.

In Luke 21, Jesus points to a poor widow placing two small coins into the offering. He says, “This poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” (Luke 21:3–4, NLT)

While others gave comfortably, she gave sacrificially from the heart. Yet Jesus calls her offering greater, not because of the amount, but because of her heart behind it. Her sacrifice was not rooted in obligation or appearance—it was rooted in love and trust.

This reveals something deeper: we often measure sacrifice by what we are losing, but God measures it by what it is flowing from.

When sacrifice comes from obligation, it feels draining.
When it comes from fear, it feels like depletion.
When it comes from striving, it becomes exhausting.

But when it flows from love—real love that is rooted in Him—it transforms. It no longer feels like something is being taken; instead, it becomes something freely given.

Psalm 89 captures the tension we sometimes feel in this process, crying out, “Lord, where is your unfailing love?” (Psalm 89:49, NLT)

There are moments when sacrifice feels costly, when it seems like something has been lost. But the truth remains that God’s love has not moved. Even when we cannot see the outcome, He is still faithful, and nothing surrendered to Him is ever wasted.

Proverbs 13 reminds us that the company we keep shapes how we see and live: “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” (Proverbs 13:20, NLT)

The world teaches us to hold tightly to what we have, to protect ourselves and avoid loss at all costs. But God calls us to a different way—to trust Him, to give freely, and to walk in love.

When you are truly one with Him, love does not remain something you simply do—it becomes who you are. And when love becomes who you are, sacrifice begins to change form. It no longer feels like something dying; it becomes something holy being released.

What once felt like loss becomes an expression of mercy, trust, and deep alignment with His heart.💎

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Action (5 Minutes with God)

Take at least 5 minute with God to be with God today. Give Him your heart and time as a sacrifice. Ask Him:

• “Lord, what do You want to tell me about this today personally?”
  • Write down what He reveals to you by His Holy Spirit.
• Then ask, “What do You want me to do?”
  • Write down what He reveals to you – then do it!

Allow Him to align your heart with His today so that what you surrender becomes something beautiful in His hands.

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Prayer

Father,
You are love, and I desire to be one with You in every area of my life. Show me where I have viewed sacrifice as loss instead of love. Heal the places in me that give out of pressure, fear, or obligation. Teach me to love the way You love—freely, fully, and with trust. Let sacrifice in my life become something beautiful, rooted in mercy rather than striving. Transform my heart until love becomes who I am. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

To read more 5 Minutes with God devotionals click here.