DEVOTIONAL

Prayer: Father thank you for loving me and calling me to love others. Help me to love others. I confess that sometimes it’s hard but thank you that you have given me all I need to love. As I commit myself to you today, I ask you, please touch my life and help me live out all the commandments you have given in and through the name of your beloved Son the Lord Jesus my Saviour. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. And in your great love lead me and help me to walk in the paths of righteousness, so that I may bring glory to you the one triune God. I now receive your forgiveness and mercy in the name of my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Scripture Reading for Prayer and Praise:  Psalm 135:3

"3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.” 

Worship Song Sung or Said: Bind Us Together ( Bob Gillman) 

https://youtu.be/EXZSnagin00

Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together
With cords that cannot be broken
Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together
Bind us together in Love

There is only one God,
There is only one King
There is only one Body,
That is why we sing.

Fit for the glory of God,
Purchased by His precious Blood
Born with the right to be free
Jesus the victory has won.

We are the family of God
We are the promise divine
We are God's chosen desire
We are the glorious new wine.
 

God’s Word for Today:   John 13:31-38

When he was gone, Jesus said, Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him.” 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.” 33 My children, I will be with you only a little longer.” You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.” 34 A new command I give you: Love one another.” As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 36 Simon Peter asked him, Lord, where are you going? Jesus replied, Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” 37 Peter asked, Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Then Jesus answered, Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

Devotional/Study: (Part 2)

The love Jesus showed on the cross and in His life was sacrificial and self-giving. He loved us so much that he willingly gave his life for us. I am discovering the more I understand and believe that God loves me the more I am able through the power of the Holy spirit love others. Later in John 15:12-14 Jesus once again said to His disciples "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” 

This means that the greatest love we can show is to die for someone. That is the kind of love Jesus showed – He showed the world the greatest act of love is by dying on the cross and paying the price for our sin.  We may not have to die for someone, but there are other ways we can show love: here are just a few verses from Gods word.

Pause for Prayer: Let’s spend some time reflecting on the following: 

• Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10), 
• Honour one another (Romans 12:10), 
• Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16), 
• Accept one another (Romans 15:7), 
• Agree with one another (1 Corinthians 1:10), 
• Serve one another (Galatians 5:13), 
• Be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32), 
• Be compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32), 
• Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32), 
• Speak to one another with Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19), 
• Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21), 
• Teach one another (Colossians 3:16), 
• Admonish one another (Colossians 3:16), 
• encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

In Romans, Paul gives us also a glimpse of what love looks like. He said in 1 Corinthians 13 "Love is patient, love is kind.” It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

This kind of love is tough to live out in our own strength. This kind of love only the Holy Spirit can place in our hearts when we live and walk in the Holy Spirit. And when our lives are filled and surrendered to the Holy Spirit, we will produce His fruit which is love. In Galatians 5:22 we read "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness."

Brothers and Sisters when we show love the rest of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness will spring out of our lives. The love that flows out from the Holy Spirit is not a fake love; it’s a love that is genuine and honest and sacrificial.  The early church demonstrated the kind of love Jesus was talking about. In Acts chapter two and four we see how the early believers lived a life of love through been generous and caring for one another in action. 

In Acts 4:44-45 we read "All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” 

The way the early church showed Love demonstrated that they were followers of Jesus and had been transformed by the power of the Holy spirit. Brothers and sisters when we choose to love each other, the world will know that we belong to Jesus. We can show Gods love through how we love and care for one another. 

I know of someone who visited a lady who was seriously ill. When he visited her he shared Gods love and then prayed for her, as he prayed he held her hand and as he did this, she gripped his hand and just smiled. And just before He left, he gave her a hug. Holding her hand was a very simple act of love. It was a small gesture of compassion and care but a very powerful act of love. When you go home today, think of someone who needs this kind of love today. Is there anyone you know today who could do with you holding their hand or a hug or even a phone call. 

When we love like Christ loved us, it can bring healing and peace within a family, marriage, and relationships. I know that in life it’s not always easy to love especially those who hurt you or those you just find very difficult. Let me say that we are only able to love the unlovable when the holy spirt is in complete control of lives and when we live under His lordship. Let us through the power of the Holy Spirit live a life filled with the love of Christ love and when we love one another even our enemies, all people will know that we are Jesus’ disciples. 

Do we love each other as Christ loved us and does our love for each other and for Jesus show the world that we are the disciples of Jesus? Let us the people of God live out the commandment of Jesus to love one another like he loved us, so the world will know we are the followers of Jesus. We read in 1 John 4:9-11 "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 

Personal Prayer: