Love

"I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. All people will know you're my followers if you love each other." John 13:34-35

There's a reason Jesus says that our love for one another will be a distinct mark, separating us from the rest of the world. The love Jesus is referring to in this passage is likened to how He loved us.

How did Jesus love us?

Unconditionally. Without merit. Simply because.

We are to love others is this same way. We love beyond faults. We love despite wrongdoings. We love despite persecution.

If you think about it, loving the way Jesus loved is the most supernatural evidence of the work God has done in our lives.

Why?

Because it is not in our nature to love those who hate us, wrong us, and persecute us. Our natural inclination is to get even. We want to see the person suffer. We want justice.

When we live within a community of believers, we are going to face conflict eventually. We are going to cross paths with someone we do not necessarily like. Someone is going to let us down. When that situation happens, we have an opportunity to present to the world who Jesus is, and what His power is capable of accomplishing within us, by responding with love.

I find it very interesting that the "Love Chapter" in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, directly follows the description of the gifts of the Spirit (Chapter 12). One can surmise that surely the gifts of the Spirit would be evidence enough of who God is and what He can accomplish, but that is not the case. I think we need to read both of these chapters together to really get the point Paul is trying to make. He concludes chapter 13 stating that the greatest of all gifts is love.

Our love for one another will ultimately be the greatest witness to a doubting world, because they cannot argue against it. They can doubt our prophecy and say that we have some inside information. They can doubt us speaking in other languages, writing us off as lunatics. They can even doubt healings and miracles. But one thing they cannot deny is love.

When we can love as Jesus loves, we will grab the attention of the world and leave them wondering what the difference is between us and them. This is how they will know that we are His disciples.

My Provider

I really feel a need to testify about all the times God has been faithful to me financially. I need to do it as a reminder to myself, and to help build faith in others as they learn to trust God with their finances.

For three years I did not work. I went to school full time and took care of my son. I depended upon my dad, who gave me a monthly income. This income was enough for BASIC necessities! During that time, if ever I had a need for something extra, God ALWAYS provided. I would get calls from people I knew who needed a babysitter, or someone to clean their house, at the exact moment my need arose. It never failed.

I went about a year and half without my own vehicle. I shared my grandmother's car during that time. It began to be more inconvient, so my dad decided he would spring the extra cash to get me something. What my dad didn't know is that my Heavenly Father already had something in mind. Someone had a car they were wanting to sell us, and they were going to give it to us for a good deal. My dad was unsure whether he wanted to make the purchase. I turned it over to God. That man who had the car to sell decided to give the car to me for FREE! It was 16 years old and only had 64,000 miles on it. It ran well and lasted me until I was able to purchase a newer one.

One time I was in desperate need of new clothes. This was during my school days, so like I said, I had no income. I had a refund from school during that time, so I set aside some of that money to buy clothes. Unfortunetly, an unexpected finance arose and I had to use that money to take care of it. I was disappointed because I did not have enough left over to buy new clothes. I went to church that following week, and while I was there, someone approached me with a gift. I opened it up, and there was a gift card for my favorite clothing store, worth $250! God already knew and had a plan to get me what I needed.

Another time in school, I woke up one morning to get ready for class, and as I was sitting on my bed, I noticed up against my wall sat a $10 bill. This $10 was not there the previous night, because it was sitting in plain sight and I had not seen it before. I didn't know what it was for, but I put it in my pocket and went to class. When I got there, I was telling some of my classmates about the money appearing out of nowhere. One student had commented on wishing that would happen to her, because she was low on funds and didn't know if she'd make it home for lack of gas. At that moment, I knew what the $10 was for. I gave it to her so she could put gas in her car.

These are just a few examples of how God has been faithful to me financially. I would say since the moment I began to follow Him, and have been faithful to Him with my tithe and offerings, I have never gone without. I have always had more than enough. To that I am truly grateful to my God. I know He is rich in all good things and I know I can trust Him with my entire being. If you are struggling with trusting God financially, I hope my testimonies have helped build your faith in God's ability to provide. Even after Him proving to me how faithful He is, I still sometimes struggle to believe. But, I won't stay in that doubt, because I point my doubt in the direction of my past and what I know to be true.

A Pattern for Interceding in Prayer

Have you ever wondered how to pray for someone? Have you ever had a desire to pray for your fellow Christians, locally and globally, but were unsure of what to pray?

In the book of Colossians, Paul begins the letter with a prayer for these Christians he had never met. He had reports from others about them, but he had never met them personally. But knowing Paul, his heart was that every Christian enjoy a dynamic relationship with Christ, as he had. His joy was in the maturing of all saints in all places.

After exhorting the Colossians for the good reports he had received about them (1:4-8), Paul prays a prayer we can all follow as we seek to intercede for one another

Colossians 1:9-14: For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven't stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints' inheritance in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. We have redemption, the forgivenss of sins, in Him.

If we examine the topics of prayer discussed in the previous passage, we can find certain areas to cover in prayer:

1. Pray that others will fully understand God's will for their lives (1:9).

2. Pray that others will honor and please the Lord in every way (1:10).

3. Pray that others will continually bear good fruit (1:10).

4. Pray that they come to know God better every day (1:10).

5. Pray that the Lord empowers them to stand firm under pressure (1:11).

6. Pray that others' lives will overflow with thanksgiving and joy (1:12-14).*

Wouldn't you be excited to discover someone was praying this prayer over your life?

Shouldn't these aspects be something we all desire as we seek to grow in the Lord?

Take time today to pray for your local church, for the national church, and for the global church. Intercede for those who have made it their life goal to see the gospel penetrate every nation and every society. May God richly bless you as you are obedient to His call.

*Points taken from Prison Epistles by Dr. LeRoy Bartel