True Riches

Miyerkules, Nobyembre 1, 2023

A COMMAND TO LOVE

A 21 day Prayer and Fasting Devotional

Day 2 - A COMMAND TO LOVE

by: Jelani Lewis

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:7–8 NLT

What’s interesting is there isn’t a single instance in Scripture when God calls us to change anyone. Yes, we are called to be influential light in a dark world. Yes, we are exhorted to be a city on a hill. And yes, our commission is to make disciples. However, what we won’t find are Scriptures that say, “Beloved, let us change one another,” or “A new command I give to you: as I have modified you, you should modify one another.” Or my personal favorite: “Fix thy neighbor.” I may have missed it on the YouVersion Bible app somewhere, but making people into what we want or think they should be isn’t found anywhere in the Holy Scriptures.

However, what we do find is a clear command to love. The apostle John writes in 1 John 4:7–8, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Paul also echoes this sentiment when he encourages the believers at Corinth on the importance of love and helps them understand exactly what loving people looks like: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7 NLT).

Jesus even challenges His disciples in Luke 6:35 to “love your enemies!” This doesn’t mean we resign ourselves to simply being a door mat. Nor does it mean we never address an issue or set a boundary. On the contrary, sometimes the most loving thing we can do is set a boundary or speak the truth in love. Nevertheless, regardless of the situation, the question isn’t “How can I change them?” The question is “What does love look like?” And the great thing is, love is a fruit of the Spirit, which means if we submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit and stay intimately connected to Jesus, God actually produces His love in us.

Like every couple, my wife and I have had our share of “animated” conversations over the years. Often the moments of my greatest frustration arise because she operates differently than I do (and of course, my way must be the right way). In the aftermath of those discussions, when I pause to listen to the Holy Spirit, He often whispers a simple question: “What does love look like?” The times I have chosen the love card, by the grace of God, I have seen Him do a work in my heart that often leads to transformation in both of us.

So today, let’s imagine we have been given a command to love. Instead of trying to change everyone, what if we decide to submit to the Spirit, stay connected to Jesus, and simply love. Love our spouse, our children, and our siblings. Love our colleagues, classmates, and neighbors. And yes, even love our enemies. After all, if we obey, we might just give God an opportunity to change us all.

Prayer

Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Today, I submit to the leading of Your Spirit, and as I do, may Your love be produced in me. Help me choose today not to attempt to change everyone, but by Your grace, to love them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activation

Ask the Holy Spirit if He is asking you to love someone whom you have focused on changing.
What is one practical way you may be able to express love toward that person today?

For Further Study

(Just click the verses so you can read it)

John 15:9–14 1 Peter 4:7–9 Luke 6:27–36
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Prepared and edited by:

Armando P. Mariano

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ABIDE IN ME

A 21 day Prayer and Fasting Devotional

Day 1 - Abide in Me

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

John 15:4–5 NKJV

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). He doesn’t mean He’s a prickly “wait a minute” vine. He also doesn’t mean He’s the kind of vine you’d find Tarzan swinging on in the jungle. The word vine in this verse is translated as “grapevine.” So Jesus is really saying that He’s a fruit-producing grapevine. And what kind of fruit does He produce? “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”—the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23 NLT).

It’s interesting to note that when a grapevine goes through a struggle or experiences adversity, such as extreme weather conditions, the vine produces heartier and healthier grapes, which in turn result in a higher quality of wine. The same is true of people. People who bear really good fruit are the ones who remain in a committed relationship with Christ when they’re pressed or go through a struggle. They display kindness when they could easily complain. They stay faithful and loving when their marriage goes through a difficult season. They show self-control when they’re mistreated. They demonstrate patience when their children have to learn the same lessons over and over. They stay connected to the Vine—Jesus—and it shows through the sweetness of their fruit.

So what does Jesus mean when He says those who abide in Him bear much fruit? You might think this word means “to produce,” yet it actually means “to carry.” There’s quite a difference between these two! As the Vine, Jesus is the only one who can produce the fruit. That’s not our responsibility—we just carry it. Think about a fruit tree. If you cut off a single branch, it stops producing fruit, and eventually, it dies. But when that branch remains connected to the rest of the tree, it eventually bears fruit.

Similarly, those who stay connected to Jesus—to the Vine—bear fruit, while those who don’t abide in Him “can do nothing.” That’s pretty clear language, right? Yet we so often think that if we just try hard enough and use all our might, we can somehow produce fruit on a broken branch! No, Jesus says the key to bearing the fruit of His Spirit is the word abide. But what does this really mean? The word abide means to “stay in one place for a long time.” And the root of the word implies staying through struggle or adversity.

So why is it important to stay connected to the Vine when we face challenges in life? It doesn’t matter whether the challenge is relational, financial, mental, or physical—whatever it is, it’s vital to stay connected to Jesus because He alone is the source of all life. When we aren’t connected to Him, we wither up and die.

However, when we do abide in Jesus, pressing in and staying connected to Him when things are good and when things are bad, we bear sweet, appealing fruit. This serves two incredible purposes. The first is to display God’s nature to the world. And the second is so people can eat it! In other words, simply by encountering you or being in relationship with you, people can “taste and see that the LORD is good!” (See Psalm 34:8.) They can see the fruit of the Spirit in your life.

Throughout the remaining 20 days of this devotional, you’ll read encouraging stories and principles from various writers about how the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in your life. You’ll discover areas of your life where you’re already displaying this fruit and areas where you can grow and mature. You’ll learn there’s more to the fruit of the Spirit than just being nice. But if you only remember one thing from this 21-day journey, remember this: abide in the Vine. You don’t need to produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life; you simply need to bear it. And if you abide in Him—if you stay constantly connected to Jesus through struggle and hardship as well as prosperity and abundance—the more fruit you’ll carry to a dark and broken world.