“Jesus said to him, “’You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your heart, and with all your mind. ‘This is the first ...
“For God so LOVED the world, He GAVE His only begotten son…” (John 3:16) is the beginning of one of the most well-known verses in the Bible. The words that have been highlighted are quite significant; “love” and “gave”. Both words emphasise two things; firstly, that God’s love is intentional, it is not a passive act or a response to anything we have done and secondly, that giving is a prerequisite of showing His love – it is necessary to be selfless. There really isn’t a greater love than the love that God shown us through this act (John 15: 13) and it is important that we as Christians, we not only acknowledge and appreciate this love but seek to share it with others.
In John 15:4, our Lord Jesus Christ instructs that we must abide in Him in order to “bear fruit”. Here, the “fruit” to which Jesus Christ is referring pertains to what is in our heart and how this influences our actions. Therefore, good acts is a sign of good fruit and showing God’s love is the ‘root’ of producing good fruit. If we truly abide in Jesus Christ knowing that we cannot come to the Father except through Him, then we should know that God has indeed created us to love.
Through our study of the word, we will be enlightened
about God’s love and know what it looks like, that we can not only preach the
Good News to unbelievers but model it in our everyday lives. In 1 Corinthians
13:4, Paul explains that we can help the poor and needy but if we do not show
love, this effort is pointless. In verses 4-8, he continues to outline the
characteristics of godly love.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Lord, we thank You for showing us the ultimate expression of pure and selfless love in Jesus’ name (John 3:16).
2. Father, we thank You for exemplifying Your love through Your endless mercies and great faithfulness in Jesus’ name(Lamentation 3:22-23).
3. Heavenly Lord, please forgive us for not obeying Your commandments and consequently not showing You the love that You deserve in Jesus’ name (John 14:15).
4. O Lord, purge me from an unloving heart and give me a clean heart that is filled with Your love in Jesus’ name(Psalm 51:7, 10).
5. Lord, help me to serve You with love and fear in my heart, that I may walk in Your ways and please You every day in Jesus’ name (Deuteronomy 10:12).
6. Lord, we humbly ask that You perfect Your Love in us so that we may teach others about Your perfect love and will for us in Jesus’ name (1 John 4:12).
7. O Lord, let the Power of Your love overcome every fear in my life in Jesus’ name (2 Timothy 1:7).
8. Father, help me to be a friend who will always show love and compassion, especially to those who are in need in Jesus’ name (Proverbs 17:17, Isaiah 58:7).
9. O Lord, remove all stumbling blocks, limitations and barriers that are hindrances to expressing and sharing Your love with others in Jesus’ name (1 John 4:7).
10. O Lord, help us to work in unity and always pursue a peaceful resolution with all men in Jesus’ name (Psalm 133:1-2; Hebrews 12:14).
11. Almighty God, be our Helper when we are in need of guidance and give us wisdom so we know how to show love when we are faced with challenges in Jesus’ name(Psalm 121:1-2; James 1:5).
12. Father, cultivate the fruits of the Spirit in me, so that showing love becomes ingrained in my attitude and lifestyle in Jesus’ name (Galatians 5:22).
13. O Lord, fill our homes, ministries and the whole nation with the Spirit of love in Jesus’ name (Matthew 3:17; 2 Timothy 1:7).
14. O Lord, help us to regularly come together in love to pray for our leaders in Jesus’ name (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
15. Father, we pray that all things will work together for our good as we show love in Jesus’ name (Rom 8:28).
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