The Upper Room 8 November 2022 Daily Devotional Message
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The Love of a Cat
Ken Roberts (New Jersey, USA)
TODAY’S READING
Romans 8:35-39
Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:39 (NIV)
I was never a cat person. And then one morning a hungry kitten showed up at my kitchen door, and I gave it a meatball. That day marked the beginning of my love of cats and led me to a deeper understanding of God’s great love for us.
I had always had a hard time accepting the concept of God’s unconditional love for us. I couldn’t understand how God could continue to love us so much despite our attempts to push God away. Yet the Bible tells us that God loves us in spite of what we do. Living with my cat helped me understand this in a new way, because no matter what she did — run away from me, push me away, all the little annoying things that cats do — I didn’t care. I loved her so much that nothing she did harmed my relationship with her. I loved her unconditionally.
I finally realized that this is how God loves us. God loves us, and “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” No matter what I do, no matter how many times I push away, God is always there to love me. With the help of a little cat, I finally understood the astounding magnitude of God’s great love for us.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Lord, help us to recognize the lessons you teach us through your creation so that we may come to know and love you better. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Every creature in God’s world has something to teach me.
PRAYER FOCUS
People who care for stray animals
The Upper Room Daily Devotional 8 November 2022 Message. The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. Read More