“If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3).
Father, You have lavished Your great love on us and have called us Your children (1 John 3:1). And then You gave us the command, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34).
You have shown us, Lord, what love is, “Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). This seems so hard from a human perspective! But You equip, empower, and enable us. Your word tells us that "love for God [is] to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world" (1 John 5:3-4).
Father, through faith in Jesus, we have have the power to love as You love. We have the assurance from Scripture, "this is is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5:5).
Give us overcoming faith. Help us to "love one another deeply, from the heart." (1 Peter 1:22). Help us to generously give the gift of our love, our care, and our kindness, even as we have so lavishly received the gift of Your love Your care, and Your kindness.
We pray for those who are struggling with difficult "love-assignments"—caregivers to the elderly and/or sick; caregivers to those with dementia or Alzheimer's; caregivers of children or adults with physical or neurological challenges. We pray for those who minister to the homeless or hungry, those who minister to individuals in mental crisis, and those who minister to refugees and displaced people.
Father, the list is long, but You know every category, every struggle, every need. Bring to our minds, now, even as we pray, those who need Your touch. Prompt us to reach out in prayer, and in action, with words of encouragement, or with gifts of time and needed resources. Let our "prayers and gifts to the poor come up as a memorial offering before God" (Acts 10:4).
Let our lives, Oh God, demonstrate Your love and Your compassion!
If I give to a needy soul
But don't have love, then who is poor?
It seems all the poverty is found in me
So let my life be the proof, the proof of Your love Let my love look like you, and what You're made of How You lived, how You died Love is sacrifice So let my life be the proof The proof of Your love
~ The Proof of Your Love ~ For King and Country
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