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Love to Obey

“The problem today is the church is not one of ignorance but of obedience”, a statement made by CB Samuel during his devotion presented on Friday 14th September 2012. He continued by saying that “if we obey just the little we know the world would be a better place.”

1 Samuel 15:22 …”to obey is better than sacrifice..”

This last week I asked myself the question “How do I know I love the Lord?” It is not a fuzzy emotional feeling, (though emotion has a part to play), that convinces me that I love God. One can obey another yet not necessarily love the person your are obeying.

Matthew 22:36-40 - “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

With all my heart: when discussing the heart in the New Testament it refers to one’s inner core will. One’s ability to choose. The centre of my being – the freedom to choose.

With all my soul: this is concerning my emotions and feelings, my passion and desire.

With all my strength: this is concerning my physical ability, my energy, my time, my skills, gifts.

Interestingly, Jesus states that the second (love your neighbour) is equal / like the first.

One cannot love God and not obey all he has taught us. God loves us and wants us to live life in all its fullness.

Love for God is something that grows and develops as I learn to obey and walk in his ways. We often think that if I learn to love first then my behaviour will change. The amazing reality is that as I choose to behave lovingly and obediently so my love grows. The commandment of love produces the emotions of love. Luke 6:46 – Jesus says “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?” Thus loving God is entwined with action / obedience, outworked as we practically love our neighbour.

So, the question then evolves - do I choose each day to follow the Lord obediently, with all my energy, passion, strength and capacity.

I have noticed that as I obey and serve so my love and passion grows. It is not the other way around (waiting for the feeling of love before acting). It is in serving that I learn about love.

As we take time to pray together, to intercede for the issues listed below, let us also ask God to teach us to love him, to choose obedience. Let us do so!

Lord, we choose to follow your ways, to live lives that demonstrate your values, to serve all who are in need and to declare your love to our world, calling people back to your way.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

This is an annual event observed since 1993. This year the day (17th October) was themed: Working Together out of Poverty. The aim is to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries.

We are thankful for our campaign Micah Challenge, which has been established in partnership with WEA (World Evangelical Alliance) and Micah Network, tasked with raising awareness amongst Christians about the travesty of poverty and calling them to stand together to hold governments to account against their commitment to halve extreme poverty by 2015.

Pray for:
Micah Challenge Secretariat as they work to prepare resources and approaches to support national and international campaigns.

Exposed: Shining a Light of Corruption: a campaign to stand against corruption – pray for this campaign to have an impact.

National Micah Challenge campaigns: to grow and gain opportunities to engage with their governments in a transformational way.

Action: are you linked to the Micah Challenge campaign in your country? If not, we encourage you to connect and be involved. See here for list of coordinators.

USA Election

On Tuesday 6th November 2012, citizens of the United States of America will vote for whom they wish to lead them as President. Let us pray for this important election, for fairness and responsible voting.

 

Global Consultation: Integral Mission and the Community

The five days we spent together has had a positive impact on so many and we continue to pray that God would build on all we shared.

We were challenged to go back to our local churches, our organisations and family and share what we had learnt, calling all to follow Christ in love and obedience. Let us pray that we can be the change we long to see.

Not to over shadow the impact of our Consultation, we also need to pray and respond to the financial deficit arising from the Consultation. Two major reasons for this deficit:

1) The blanket subsidy we set out to raise so as to keep the Consultation Package cost accessible to as many as possible was not met, leaving us short.
2) 67 participants who had registered and accommodated did not arrive as their visas were denied or not given.

We are thus facing a deficit. Please pray that we would be able to raise this shortfall within the next few weeks. If you are able to respond practically to this, then thank you in advance.

Haiti - Hurricane Impact

Jean Valéry Vital-Herne from Micah Challenge writes: As you probably know between the 24th and the 27th of October 2012, the Caribbean was hit by hurricane Sandy. Unfortunately Haiti was not spared. Sandy came 2 months after another hurricane, Isaac. Those two hurricanes caused major problems leaving more than 7,000 people homeless, 3,000 houses destroyed, 7,000 flooded, more than 8,000 acres of land that were used in agriculture affected. Churches were also affected: 102 churches and 65 schools lead by the churches are damaged.

Please pray for those pastors, families and children affected in the entire country especially in the South East.

Pray that the humanitarian response to all affected would be rapid and efficient.

Sundar Daniel

Sundar has served as our Asia Regional Coordinator since August 2008. His contract with us came to an end on the 31st October 2012. Let us pray for Sundar and his family as he seeks the next step in his career and ministry.

Thought

Thought: the interesting thing about Jesus is that the people who knew him best worshipped him as God.

Prayer Focus

Please do send your prayer points to us each week. This is our Network Prayer Focus and a means of standing together for one another and the issues close to our hearts.