25/05/2020
*STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS*
A Daily Devotional Guide by Bishop David Bakare
*Love or Lust?*
Monday 25 May
2020
*READ: Hebrews 11: 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.*
Love is one of the most used words in the world today yet very few people have the right understanding of the concept of love. For instance, we see people who claim to love and yet are very selfish. One of the attributes of love is giving, *For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.…* John 3: 16. God who is love demonstrated His love for us by giving. So what kind of love do we have today that we find it very difficult to give?
Your love for someone is not determined just by giving but also by the quality of what you give. Show me your gift to a friend and I will tell you the place such a friend occupies in your heart. In the same vein, what you give to God and how you give it reflect who He is in your life. We must give God the first and the best; that will indicate that He is the most important person in our lives. Whoever you give your best to is your God. Some people give the best of their time to their work, studies, friends etc, and any other time for God. It is only when they are tired and exhausted that they remember to pray or study the Word and they doze as they read. We should learn to give God the best of our time, attention, finance etc all through our lifetime. Do not wait to serve God in your old age. The Bible says the glory of a youth is his strength; so, serve Him now when you have both the time and energy.
Love is also a give and take affair. This is to say that both parties involved must be willing to give. A situation where one person gives whole heartedly and the other person receives without making an attempt to give is lust. He or she does not love the other person for who he is but for what he can get from him. In other words, they are lusting after what they can get and not necessarily interested in loving.
Some of us have also turned our relationship with God to a lust affair instead of a love affair. We love Him not for who He is but for what we can get. For such people, when God does something great in their lives, they say He is faithful and when things do not go as they expect, they begin to complain. If you are that type of person, I want you to repent. Love God for who He is and not for what you can get. Now, if God does not give you what you want, will you still love Him?
*MORE LESSON:*
*John 6: 22 The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;*
*6: 23 (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)*
*6: 24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.*
*6: 25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?*
*6: 26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.*
*6: 27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.*
*PRAYER/ACTION*
* Declare that for the love of Christ you will not withhold anything.
* Pray that nothing shall separate you from the love of God.
* Ask for grace not to withhold anything for Christ’s sake.
*TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER:*
*This whole week will respond positively to me, in the name of Jesus.*