Characteristics of Love: Love intercedes
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
3 John 1:2(NLT) Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.
3 John 1:2 (MSG) We’re the best of friends, and I pray for good fortune in everything you do, and for your good health–that your everyday affairs prosper, as well as your soul!
Introduction: Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised for being alive to study His undiluted words. I bless God for everyone looking forward to hear Scriptures speak on this platform weekly. Your contributions, questions and comments will be appreciated.
🙏 I sincerely pray that the Almighty God will keep us to the end in Jesus name.
We are examining 16th characteristic of God’s kind of Love this week: Love intercedes
To intercede is to pray on behalf of someone.
From KJV version of our text; the verse starts with “Beloved”, a beloved one is someone you feel great affection for. A friend dear to you or your best friend as stated in NLT and MSG version above.
🛑 God’s kind of Love prays for the beloved, friend that is dear or best friend.
3 John 1:2 (MSG) We’re the best of friends, and I pray for good fortune in everything you do, and for your good health–that your everyday affairs prosper, as well as your soul!
❓Do you constantly pray or intercede for your spouse for good fortune in everything?
My wife and I have had course to intervene in several quarrels among Christian couples as parish pastor since 1997. In the course of altercations, I have heard Christian spouses cursing one another with scary words that I wondered how they met themselves and when deep seated hatred started in such relationship. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were unbelievers because devil has easy hold on unrepentant souls, but how do we explain supposed Christian couples fuming with venomous curses?
Hear what Scriptures speak about our tongues.
James 3:9-10(NLT) Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!
We can now imagine God’s feelings about Christians, who are pastors, choir members and intercessors cursing their spouses during disagreement or quarrels.
🛑 It is difficult to believe that the spouse you cursed to death during quarrels is the same you are interceding to God for divine blessings.
While blessings bring closeness among couples, curses create gaps because curse is not an indication for love but hatred.
God’s kind of Love wishes the beloved to prosper in everything irrespective of differences.
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth
🛑 Unfortunately, when pronounced curses start to manifest in the life of the spouse, both will suffer the consequences.
This fact of partaking in pronounced curses is obscured to couples during fighting and they rain curses on one another carelessly. When curses start to operate in the family, they blame enemies from the village for their misfortune because human beings must blame someone for their calamities without thinking that calamity can be self-induced.
Hear what God said to His chosen ones who proclaimed death to themselves in the battle of life.
Numbers 14:3,28 (NLT) “Why is the lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say.
❓What negative words have you spoken to your spouse in the heat of anger?
There is still hope for a living dog than a dead lion. Under dispensation of Grace, we can take advantage of the Blood of Jesus Christ to wipe away all sins, and make ineffective negative words spoken to ourselves and loved ones. This can only be done with genuine repentance to seize from cursing in all circumstances.
❓What practical steps are we to take as we walk in love this week?
Begin praying today for your spouse’s heart. Pray for three specific areas where you desire for God to work in your spouse’s life and in your marriage.
✍ Finally brethren, our Lord and Saviour commands us to pray or intercede for our enemies, how much more our loved ones. Love intercedes. Cursing and engaging in abusive words among couples is not an indication of God’s kind of Love and it is flagrant disobedience to Christ’s commandments.
Hear Christ’s commandment to His Disciples on behavioural pattern of God’s Kingdom as against worldly practices❗
Matthew 5:44-45 (NLT) But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.
Matthew 5:44-45 (MSG) I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best–the sun to warm and the rain to nourish–to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.
✋ Maranatha.
