As we completed the final week of our 21 days of prayer and fasting, we delved into John 15:9-17, where Jesus commands us to love one another as He has loved us. This passage resonated deeply as we reflected on the transformative power of love in our lives and community.
The scripture reads:
"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another." (John 15:9-17 NKJV)
This week, the call to love one another felt like the culmination of everything we had been learning. We had been abiding in Christ, experiencing His pruning, and now we were being asked to put that love into action. Jesus’ love for us is the model—selfless, sacrificial, and transformative. Reflecting on this, we recognized that fasting had given us an opportunity to express love in real, tangible ways: through acts of kindness, forgiveness, and generosity.
The challenge of sacrificial love was particularly poignant. Jesus calls us not just to love when it’s easy, but to love in a way that mirrors His willingness to lay down His life for His friends. This week, we reflected on how we could live out this radical love in our families, workplaces, and communities.
As we finished the 21 days of fasting and prayer, many of us experienced a deep sense of joy, just as Jesus promised in this passage. The joy of obedience and loving others overflowed in our lives, and testimonies of renewed relationships, forgiveness, and community-building filled our church.
Looking back, this week solidified the truth that love is the greatest fruit we can bear. We left this fasting period not just changed personally but ready to impact those around us with the love of Christ.
Prayer: "Jesus, thank You for teaching us the power of sacrificial love. As we reflect on this final week of fasting, we are grateful for the joy that comes through loving others as You have loved us. Help us to continue living out this love daily, bearing fruit that remains and bringing glory to the Father. Amen."
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