GOFAMINT DEVOTIONAL - CHRISTIAN'S LOVE FOR OTHER PEOPLE

                                     SAVED TO SERVE

                                            Friday 6/5/2022 

Suggested Hymns: G.H.B. 235, 237

Devotional Reading: Rom. 12:1-12

Topic For Adults: Your Reasonable Service To God

Topic For Youths: Do Not Follow Worldly Pattern

Topic For Intermediates: Respond Appropriately To God’s Love

Lesson Scriptures: Rom. 6:11-13; 12:1-21; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:10; Matt. 5:43-45

MEMORY VERSE

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your

bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service”

(Romans 12: 1) NKJV.

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              CHRISTIAN'S LOVE FOR OTHER PEOPLE

 Romans 12:14-16

Christian is redeemed not to only serve God, but to serve people around him in love. We should not become so engrossed in spiritual worship of God that we do not have time for people around us. If a Christian does not love a man whom he can see, how can he love God whom he cannot see (1 Jn. 4:20). Our love should not be shown only to those who are nice to us, but also to those who persecute us. We are called to bless our persecutors and not to curse them (Matt. 5:44). As difficult as this may sound, the Holy Spirit wants to enable us to obey if we are willing. Love should also compel us to share in the joy and sorrow of people around us. We should not feel indifferent to their plight. Whatever we are or we have is a gift from God; it is by His grace.

Point of Emphasis: Love of God shown to us constrains us to show love to others around us.

Prayer Point: Holy Spirit, enable me to love the unlovable, especially those who persecute me.

Reading The Bible Through in a Year: Morning: 2 Tim. 4:9-22; Evening: Ps. 119:97 – 176

BACKGROUND

Some postulated that the cross gives an illustration, symbolically represents our service to God our Creator and fellow human beings. The upright stand depicts our service to God while the vertical depicts our service to man. Our service to both God and man is meaningful and fruitful if only we are redeemed. The bedrock of this required service is salvation. The essence of which is the focus of this week’s lesson.

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NOTES ON THE LESSON

PART 1: CONSECRATION TO GOD – ROM. 12:1-2; 6: 11-13; GAL. 2:20

In the earlier chapters of the book of Romans, God’s unparallel love towards man was commended. He gave His only begotten Son to die for our sin; He showed His mercy by granting us salvation. In view of such great love and mercy shown, the reasonable response of the Christian is to surrender his life to God as a living sacrifice. God does not require the Christian to be killed as the lamb or goat that was offered in the Old Testament. He wants the Christian to live for Him. In the Old Testament, when an animal is offered as an offering, the person giving the offering transfers all rights of ownership to God. The Christian is required to surrender the control of his life to God; that is, the Christian must be ready to follow the commandments of God and to live to please Him.

In order for the sacrifice to please God, it has to be holy. The Christian needs to consecrate his body to God. That means he needs to turn away from sin instead, he needs to offer every part of his body to be used to promote righteousness. The first thing that God requires from us is our bodies. Anything offered to God by a person who has not consecrated his body to God is unacceptable. Render your heart and not your garment.

In order for a Christian to be truly consecrated, he needs to allow the Holy Spirit to renew his mind. The mind, which is the control centre of our will, affections, emotions, etc. has been polluted while we were in the world. We need to be transformed so that we no longer think the way the world thinks, or react to issues the way people in the world do, neither should our affections follow the pattern of the people in the world.

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PART 2: EQUIPPED TO SERVE GOD AND MAN – ROM. 12:3-12; EPH. 2:10

One of the reasons for redeeming a Christian is to make him fit to make heaven. Beside this, God requires every redeemed person to get involved in the business of His kingdom. God endows every Christian with spiritual gifts to function properly in the kingdom. The spiritual gifts are different from one person to another; but are given by the same Lord. Since the assignments differ from one person to another, there is no reason for envy or for one person to become proud or feel superior to another. Whatever gift a person has is expected to be used for the benefit of the whole body of Christ; no individual is self-sufficient, but we all need one another.

Our Churches are not operating at optimal level because many people do not have correct knowledge of what God demands from them. There are members who are too busy running after the things of the world that they do not have time to identify the gifts God has deposited into them and do not know that God is waiting for them to occupy their positions. There are members who are slothful in doing God’s work; Church leaders cannot count on them to carry out assigned duties with diligence. There are members who become uncontrollable because they think they are better than all others due to the gift of God in them.

Don’t think of yourself higher than you should. Humble yourself. Inability to utilise the gift of God to serve the body of Christ make you become unfruitful. Have you identified your gift? How are you utilising the gift to benefit the Church of God?

PART 3: LOVE TO BE SHOWN TO OTHERS – ROM. 12:13-21; MATT. 5:43-45

As we journey through life, we will come across all manners of people, some loveable and some unlovable. Love of Christ within should restrains us from retaliating those who hurt us. The great love which God has shown to us should constrain us to show love to those He brings across our way.

God demands we should love our fellow Christians. (1 Jn. 4:20). Love will make us to be affectionate to others and to give honour to them instead of seeking self-glorification (verse 10). Love will make us to meet the needs of those who lack among us and to be hospitable to strangers. Rather than stirring up conflict among the brethren, love will make us to strive to be of the same mind towards one another; it will make us humble and not to be wise in our own opinion. Love will make us try our possible best to live peaceably with others.

We should endeavour to repay evil with good. It is better to leave the process of avenging to Him.

CONCLUSION

A Christian is one of those whom God has shown mercy and compassion out of multitudes in the world. A Christian should respond to this mercy by surrendering his life to God fully. He should separate himself from the ways of the world and sin which can easily get him entangled. He should endeavour to serve God with diligence and offer himself as instrument in God’s hand to touch the lives of other people positively. Christians are saved to serve God and others.

QUESTIONS

1. What is the relationship between a sacrifice intended for God and holiness?

2. Why do the spiritual gifts given to individuals differ?

3. How can a Christian have the knowledge of what God demands from him or her?

4. Is it possible for a man to love God and hate his fellow human being?

5. Mention the importance of man’s salvation.

DO HAVE A BLESSED DAY

©2022 THE GOSPEL FAITH MISSION INTERNATIONAL DEVOTIONAL IS BY PASTOR (DR) E.O ABINA, THE GENERAL OVERSEER OF GOFAMINT Worldwide.