Sunday, January 8, 2012

THIRTY DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE - DAY 8


PRAYING THE NAMES OF GOD




DAY 8:


GOD IS LOVE


Love is the most miscontrued, misused and misapplied word in the world!  Our focus today is not to dwell on and dissect all the different types of love in humanity, but to zero in on this characteristic of our Holy and Loving God!


As I mentioned yesterday, we cannot separate the Attribute from the Name of God. Many throw around the statement "GOD IS LOVE" very loosely to cover a wide variety of behaviors and philosophies - mostly non-Christian!


But we, who are called by His Name, are required to get it  correctly, right off the bat. Therefore,  let us key into the selected passage for today"



Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
(1 John 4:7-10 ESV)



As you see, the Apostle John uses the word "LOVE" many times in these few verses!  All of these words are from the same root word for Divine Love - Agape!


Agape is the HIGHEST form of Love a human being can have for another human being. 


It is a selfless, unconditional and sacrificial love for another. 
It is the kind of love which forgives another when they have wronged us. 
It is the kind of love which so fills our hearts that we wish everyone to have a close walk with Jesus too, so that they too can go to Heaven. 
It is the kind of love we have for our children that we want to raise them up in the way that they should go, so that when they are older, they will not depart from it.
It is the kind of love which could cause us to give up this mortal life to our persecutors, who will soon be at our doors in the coming Tribulation.


It is also the following verse from the Lord Jesus Himself when He said in John 14:21 "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”


Father, in the Name of Jesus, I thank You so loved fallen and evil mankind, even though our sin has risen up as a foul odor to Your Holy Throne, God YOU loved us so much that You sent the Ancient of Days - the Lord Jesus Christ - to be our Atonement.


Lord Your love for us was so strong that You sacrificed Your own Son Jesus, watched Him persecuted and killed by evil men, watched Him die willingly on that Cross and then You were satisfied that Payment was made, once and for all, so that all men and women who believed and accepted that Payment was THE covering for their own sins, would be restored to Covenant relationship with You!


Because of that great sacrifice - done once and for all - Your Name became Love, Father. Lord we know that if we walk in Your ways, You will make Yourself known to us. Lord we long to do that. 
We long to see You. 
We long to love You more each day. 
We live to grow in You. 
We live to see others come to a saving knowledge of Eternal life as found in Christ Jesus the King. 
We listen to that strong soft voice of Love. 
We look forward to that Day when the Trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend...because Father, it is ONLY because of You and Your Son, that it is well with my soul.


Let me meditate on Your Words here day and night, that I may have Your Name so that when others see our anointed works, they will see the Agape Love in us and Glorify You in Heaven.


In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.


TOMORROW: DAY 9 - GOD IS JEHOVAH - JIREH


(image by google images)

No comments: