Daily Devotional - Discipleship - WK39 - 9/25/24 - Month of Prayer - Day 25 "Watch, Pray and Love"

Author: Evangelist Jamie Hoffman

“Watch, Pray, and Love!”
Scripture: 1 Peter 4:7-8

“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”

Devotion:
As a child growing up, I used to hear the saying, “Jesus is soon to return; you better get your house in order.” At the time, I was too young to realize the seriousness of that statement. I honestly thought it was a tactic adults used to scare us little children into submission. However, now I know the truth of the statement in a real way. Considering the state of the world and biblical signs, it's clear this is not business as usual. Jesus is soon to return, and we need to make sure our spiritual house is in order.

When I lived in Virginia, my former first lady used to ask a question at the end of every Sunday service. She would say, “when you leave here today, can you say that it is well with your soul?” That question stuck with me because it forced me to examine myself; I wanted the assurance with God that it was indeed well with my soul. The goal for us all is to hear God say, “well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

In our scripture today, Peter is admonishing the people to be alert and prayerful because the end of all things is near. Then, he ends by encouraging them to cover each other in love. He lets them know that love covers a multitude of sins. It was Jesus’ love for us that led us to repentance, forgave us, and delivered us from sin. Therefore, it is our duty to extend that same love and grace to others.

Throughout the word of God, He encourages us to love one another again and again. Why? I believe God knew we would struggle with unconditional love. Human nature wants to love based on certain conditions, but the love God wants us to operate from is His agape love. That means even if you hate me, I’ll love you. Even if you misuse me, I’ll love you. Even if you scandalize my name, I’ll love you. I believe that when we all get on one accord and start loving like God loves, we will see an even greater move and manifestation of God’s power on earth.

Prayer:
God, help us be watchful, to pray, and above all to love like You love us. Amen.