1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 2: You're listening to every Day Prayers with Million Praying Moms, 3 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:20,439 Speaker 2: helping you pray God's word for your family in the 4 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 2: areas you need it most. I'm your host, Nicolette Bell. 5 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 2: Here we believe prayer isn't a last resort. It's our 6 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 2: first and best response in parenting, and every day we 7 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 2: come together to partner with God for the hearts of 8 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 2: our children. 9 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 1: This fall, we are praying through. 10 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:38,560 Speaker 2: The nine fruit of the Spirit in nine weeks using 11 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:42,520 Speaker 2: devotions adapted from our Everyday Prayers devotional series. This week's 12 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 2: prayer focus is love. Today's devotion is written and read 13 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 2: by Rachel Adams, author of Everyday Prayers for Love, Learning 14 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,879 Speaker 2: to Love God, others, and even yourself, and she's the 15 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 2: host of the Love Offering podcast. 16 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:56,639 Speaker 1: To learn more about. 17 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 2: Rachel Our ministry, or to grab copies of our Everyday 18 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 2: Prayers devotionals, visit Millionprayingmoms dot com. You can click on 19 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 2: our mom shop and use the code Fall twenty for 20 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 2: twenty percent off your order. After a quick word from 21 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 2: our sponsors, we'll pray together for our children. 22 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 3: Whoever does not love does not know God, because God 23 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:26,320 Speaker 3: is Love. First John Chapter four, Verse eight. What is love? 24 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 3: A group of adults posed this question to children. A 25 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 3: seven year old named Danny answered, love is when my 26 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:34,960 Speaker 3: mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a 27 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 3: sip before giving it to him to make sure it 28 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 3: tastes okay. Mary Anne, age four, said love is when 29 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 3: your puppy licks your face even after you left him 30 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 3: alone all day. Bobby, age seven, said, love is what's 31 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 3: in the room with you at Christmas if you stop 32 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 3: opening presents and listen out of the mouths of babes 33 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 3: right ouric current generation is inundated with books, songs, television shows, 34 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 3: and movies that have all tried to explain love. However, 35 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 3: the descriptions always seem to come up short. Scholars, poets, 36 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 3: and screenwriters have attempted to contemplate the meaning of adoration, 37 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:14,799 Speaker 3: also to no avail. While humans have debated the true 38 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 3: meaning of love for centuries, Scripture gives us the uncomplicated, 39 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 3: pure definition God is love. Unfortunately, love has become a 40 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 3: confusing term with little meaning in most instances. In our 41 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 3: English language, we use the word love to describe our 42 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 3: emotions about everything from food, to family to God. However, 43 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:41,240 Speaker 3: Biblical Greek has four different words to distinguish the various 44 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:48,079 Speaker 3: meanings of love romantic, brotherly, familiar, and sacrificial. The authors 45 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 3: use the Greek word agape in First John four and 46 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 3: one Corinthians thirteen. Agape is a divine love that comes 47 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 3: from God. It is superior to all other loves because 48 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 3: it is the greatest and highest form, perfect, holy, and pure. 49 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 3: Because God is eternal, his affection toward us will last forever. 50 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 3: He is the origin and the culmination of love, the 51 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 3: alpha and the omega. The apostle. John asserts, beloved, let 52 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 3: us love one another, for love is from God, and 53 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 3: whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 54 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 3: From this verse we can conclude that God is the 55 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 3: source the beginning of all things, most notably the origin 56 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 3: of love. This truth is affirmed at the very beginning 57 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 3: of the Bible. In the beginning, God created the heavens 58 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 3: and the earth. He did not need to form the universe, 59 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 3: Yet God chose to make it. Why Because adoration is 60 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 3: best expressed towards something or someone else. God brought the 61 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 3: world and humanity into existence as an expression of his 62 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 3: own heart. Throughout God's word, it is evident that everything 63 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 3: the Lord has done is motivated by love. His devotion 64 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 3: has always involved choice and action from him. We learn 65 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 3: that love isn't just a feeling, it is a verb. 66 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 3: It is something we give, something we do. The Apostle 67 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:19,919 Speaker 3: Paul provides us with a beautiful example of love in action. 68 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:24,480 Speaker 3: In one Corinthians thirteen. He concludes his proclamation about love 69 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 3: with this statement. And now these three remain faith, hope, 70 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 3: and love. The greatest of these is love. We may 71 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 3: have heard verses from this chapter read at many wedding ceremonies. 72 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:41,800 Speaker 3: In fact, they were read at mine. But living out 73 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 3: these characteristics can sometimes be difficult. Our human nature consistently 74 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 3: fails to portray these attributes. Apart from the Holy Spirit, 75 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,839 Speaker 3: we cannot love like he does. God created us in 76 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 3: his own image. This verse gives us hope. God is 77 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:04,359 Speaker 3: love we can be too, no matter what our various 78 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 3: experiences and backgrounds are. When asked what love is, I 79 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 3: hope we can all confidently answer God is love and 80 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 3: He loves us. It is as simple as that. Let's 81 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 3: pray Father. Love can be so confusing the world has 82 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 3: tainted the term. Help me to understand you are the 83 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 3: origin of love and how much you adore me. Let 84 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 3: this be the foundation of all I think, say, and 85 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 3: do in Jesus's name. Amen. 86 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 2: As part of our Fruit of the Spirit prayers and 87 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 2: everyday prayers for the School Year book Club, Tarah Cole 88 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 2: and I created a free car Conversations guide for your 89 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 2: family to use this fall. The car is sometimes the 90 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 2: best place for our most precious conversations with our kids 91 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:58,720 Speaker 2: as we are praying through the Fruit of the Spirit. 92 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:02,320 Speaker 2: Our hope is that you can have meaningful conversations with 93 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 2: your kids about what living out these fruit looks like 94 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 2: in their daily lives. Tara and I created a series 95 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 2: of quick questions. She wrote some for the older kids, 96 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:13,919 Speaker 2: I wrote some for younger kids, and we share a 97 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 2: prayer that you can share with your children about each 98 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 2: of the Fruit of the Spirit. Download your copy for 99 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:23,039 Speaker 2: free on our website or the link in our show notes. 100 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 1: Until next time, friends, the Lord bless you and keep you. 101 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:32,279 Speaker 2: Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 102 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 2: May the Lord look with favor on you and give 103 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 2: you peace.