LOVE ENSURES ANSWERS TO PRAYERS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY AUGUST 27, 2022.

SUBJECT : LOVE ENSURES ANSWERS TO PRAYERS!

Memory verse: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal." (First Corinthians 13 vs 1.)

READ: First John 3 vs 21 - 23:

3:20: For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

3:21: Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

3:22: And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

3:23: And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

3:24: And he who keeps His commandments abides  in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. 

INTIMATION:

Love is more important than all the spiritual gifts exercised in the church—the body of Christ. Great faith, acts of dedication or sacrifice, and miracle working power have little effect without love. Love makes our actions and gifts useful. Although people have different gifts, Love is available to everyone.

In the passage we read today, the Scripture, when explained, says, "Beloved, if those who have trained their consciences by the word of God feel guilty when they do not do that which is right, then they are condemned by God who knows our conscience. The Christian who is guided by the word of God must be aware of the fact that if he does not walk according to his Bible-trained conscience, his guilty conscience indicates that he is not right with God. 

But if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God, and whatever we ask, we receive of Him because we are walking in love—doing the things that are pleasing in His sight.” It makes no difference how many promises you plead, if you are not walking in love, your prayer life will be a failure.

First John 3 vs 23 is worthy of meditation because there lies the greatest commandment, ‘And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ (John 6 vs 29), and love one another, as He gave us commandment.’ If you walk in love, you can walk into the Father's presence just as Jesus did, and know that your prayers will be heard and answered. Jesus usually says to the Father "I know You hears Me." This is because He is always walking in love hence the Bible noted in Acts 10 vs 38 that "He went about doing good," showing love and compassion on people.

If you walk in love, there will be no problem of faith to confront you as there was no problem of faith with Jesus during His earth walk; you are walking in love; you are doing the word; you are letting Jesus live His life in you. The Father can see Jesus in you, feeling Jesus in your petitions for others. God knows all things including the intents of our heart. If you are not walking in love, He knows you are not obeying His commandment, and is not pleasing Him with what you do.

Jesus Christ gave us the greatest commandment in Mark 12 vs 29 - 31; love your God and love your neighbor. In verse 31 He said, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." In John 13 vs 34 - 35, Jesus emphasized the importance of the new commandment, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” In the two verses of forty words, Jesus repeated ‘love one another’ three times, for emphasis sake.

Now, in Matthew 7 vs 24 - 25 Jesus said, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." And the apostle James says in his epistle. "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1 vs 22.) Walking in love is the sure way of walking into the Father’s heart, and a solid foundation your life in Christ.

This lover here is a doer of love. He lives in the love realm. It is not the old Phileo love, but the new kind of love that Jesus brought, "Agape" and so we love in deed and in reality. Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth and persuaded in our hearts to stand in confidence before Him in prayer because we have done His will. Your heart is your spirit. Your heart knows whether you are practicing love toward other people. If they need clothes and you are able to give them, and they cannot get them, then it is up to you to meet that need, if you are able. You are to treat them as Jesus has treated you. He died for you, you live for them.

Let us now also join this to First John 5 vs 14 - 15, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His Will, he hears us. And if we know that He hears us , whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." If we walk in love, we never pray out of His Will, and if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions we ask of Him.

Now we can understand Hebrews 4 vs 16, "Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." This love life permits us to walk into the very presence of the Father. You may go into the ‘Throne Room’ and stand in His presence and make your petitions known in the name of Jesus, and as sure as you do, the petition is heard.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of love for You and for others, that I may walk in love pleasing You in all my ways because I do Your will—obey Your commandments, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!