Monday Daily Devotional By Pastor David Okoye (Ambassadors Diet 3rd October 2016) - Follow After Love

“Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1

The MSG rendering of our opening text says “Go after a life of love as if your life depends on it- because it does, give yourselves to the gifts God gives you. Most of all, try to proclaim His truth.”

The AMP rendering puts it thus, “Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire (this) love (make it your aim, your great quest); and earnestly desire and cultivate spiritual endowments (gifts) especially that ye may prophesy (interpret the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching.” This is God telling us through Paul to follow after love; that is, to pursue the way of love.

Love is the principal and chief of all. We are to earnestly desire it and be influenced by it always. We are to cultivate it in our hearts, thereby, cultivating it in the lives of many and also to diffuse its influence to everything and everyone around us.

God did not tell us to get charity; rather, He said we should follow after it. It is a continuous process.

The way of love is the way of God. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” There are two things to understand in the way of love from the above text.

The God-kind of love gives and does not expect anything in return. This love
gives unconditionally.

The God-kind of love also drives to eternal life. It is an expression of love that
leads to eternal life.

1 Corinthians 13:1 says, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am becoming a sounding brass, and a tinkling cymbal.” Verse 3 of the same scripture says, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” These scriptures show us that without love, whatever we speak, own, do or suffer is equated to nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three but the greatest of these is charity.” Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Without hope, we cannot endure.

Even as great and as useful as these two are, love is the greatest. By faith, we receive from God; by hope, we expect a future and eternal good; but by love, we become like God. For this reason scripture says, “… God is love” (1 John 4:8).

You might get your victory through your faith, but the sustenance of your victory is dependent on love. Do not let anything ever rob you of your love. The devil cannot stand the show of true love because for every time you show true love, you show the fullness of God.

Your staying power in God is love!

DECLARATION
I choose today, to follow after love. The love of God that surpasses all
understanding is at work in me.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCE: 
1 Corinthians 13:1-13, 1 Corinthians 14