Page 67 - Living Light 86

Sunday November 17 - Love everyone
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show
hospitality to strangers... Hebrews 13:1-2
The final chapter of Hebrews gives us seven pearls of wisdom for life. The first is love, the Bible’s recurring and supreme message. When asked which commandment is the most important, Jesus replied, “ Love the Lord your God... (and) love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). The Apostle Paul strips all else away in declaring, ‘If I do not have love, I am nothing’ (1 Corinthians 13:2). Similarly, John underlines the pre- eminence of love: ‘Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No-one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us’ (1 John 4:11-12). Put simply, God’s love is made known in the world through the love of others, especially through his redeemed children. Jesus endorses this in saying, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
Today’s passage encourages us to keep on loving one another (v 1), strangers (v 2), prisoners, and those abused (v 3). We were created, and re-created through new birth, to love. It is our high calling; we can’t get off the hook. Just months after I came to faith, I asked God to give me someone to share his love with – that’s another story! It’s a prayer God will always answer. Will you dare pray that today?
Heavenly Father, may I have sincere love for others – deep God- given love from my heart (1 Peter 1:22). Amen.
Monday November 18 - Honour marriage
Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure...
Hebrews 13:4
Some of you will remember a time when ‘matrimony’ was prefixed by the word ‘holy’; sadly, in today’s culture it has lost all sense of holiness. The Bible holds high the ideal of married life and the institution of family. Increasingly, marriage has been devalued by unjustified divorce, by living together outside of marriage, by unfaithfulness, neglect and finally by definition (that it is no longer exclusively the union of a man and a woman).
There may be people reading this who are thinking, “Ian, this is ‘dark age’ thinking, be enlightened!”. Hmmmm! Yesterday we were exhorted to love neighbours, strangers and prisoners; today it’s to love our spouse. How do I love my wife? By staying faithful! Next month, Carol and I celebrate our golden wedding anniversary. We are blessed, but I am sure there are others reading this who would love to turn the clock back and do things differently. How we all need God’s grace and forgiveness!
Marriage is called to be holy, ordained by God, through which miraculously two become one flesh; marriage is intended solely for the marriage bed. For this reason, Satan constantly seeks to dishonour marriage, rendering sex as a casual commodity.
Marriage is not meant to be joke-fodder but a foundational pillar of society. So, let’s support, invest and pray.
Father, please forgive us for devaluing marriage. May we support and pray for marriage, elevating and honouring it in line with Your word. Amen.
65
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY