Love One Another - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) October 19, 2021

On Friday, we were reminded of God's abounding love for us. What a great blessing that is! However, the word makes it clear that it isn't enough for us to receive God's love. In fact, the Bible teaches that because we are loved by the Lord, we must in turn love others. Consider 1 John 4:11 - Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. The Lord continues to stress this need to love others in 1 John 4:7 - Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

And why do we need to worry about loving others? Because God is love and we rely on this fact as stated in 1 John 4:16 - And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. Also because it is a direct command mentioned in 1 John 3:23 - And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

We can't claim to be His children, to be believers in the name of Jesus Christ and not love others. We cannot expect God's miracles and mercies in our lives if we don't honor His commandment to exemplify and express the love He freely gives us to other people.

And sure, loving others can be tough because many seem to specialize in making it hard to love them. They slander us without reason, they treat us wrong without provocation, and do other things to offend us. Nevertheless, we were told to love others, regardless of how hard they make it for us. After all, God doesn't say we're too sinful to love. Indeed, His love for us knows no bounds. As His children, we need to extend the love we receive from Him to one another. Doing this pleases Him and when we please Him, 1 John 3:22 states we "...receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him."

May the Lord guide us and help us by His grace to honor His commandment to love others. May He show us the various ways we can do this and be pleased by our obedience, IJMN, Amen.

I pray you will join us at 12 Noon EST for Praise & Pray (for others) where we strive to honor the Lord with praises and express love for our fellow man via prayerful intervention. Please come ready to share your thanksgiving and reasons for praise, as well as people/situations/places to lift in prayer.

God bless you.