* Fervent Love

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
1st Peter 4:7-8 NKJV

We’re quickly coming to the end of yet another year – one that passed much more quickly than the previous year - and we are looking forward to a new year. In the last few days, so many people have said, I’m ready for this year to be over.

Typically, when we come to the end of something, we are tired. We just don’t have the same drive we had at the start. Sometimes, when we see the end in sight, we ease up a little, knowing it’s not going to take much more effort to finish.  I’ve been guilty of that. There are even those who give up, thinking their momentum will carry them over the line. BIG mistake… Every Olympian who ever lost the gold by a millisecond will vouch for that. 

Do you ever get tired of praying for people? Especially the same people? You know the ones - It seems as though they go merrily along in their self-destructive ways without a single thought toward their eternity – they never seem to want to change. Do you ever reach the point when you think, Okay, I’m done praying for them. I’m not wasting another breath…? Sometimes, we think we’ve done all we can do.

Peter warns us in our text for today. But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins.”  Do you know the definition of "fervent" in this Scripture? It means stretch forth, assiduously - which means diligently, persevering, industriously, attentively, hard-working, tirelessly… It goes hand-in-hand with the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man in James 5:16.

Dang…I just don’t see that any of those words have anything to do with slacking off or making allowances for being tired or easing up or coasting to the finish line. 

Jesus didn’t give up on us. He’s done more for us than we ever did for anyone else. None of us have been crucified on a cross. Now, if you were to ask me - in my finite mind - I would say He has done all He can do for us by dying on the cross for our sins… but that’s not the end of it. Romans 8:34b NKJV tells us,  It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Hebrews 7:25 NLT makes it plain,  Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. 

The end may be in sight, but He has not given up on any of us. He’s not slacking up. He has not folded His arms and said, I’ve done all I can do. I’m not doing one more thing… According to Scripture, He lives FOREVER TO INTERCEDE with God on their [our] behalf.

That’s for us! THAT is fervent love… Should we do less?

Prayer:

Father,          
           Forgive us for our selfishness. Change our hearts, Father, according to Your Word in Deuteronomy 30:6. Change our hearts and the hearts of all our descendants, so that we will love You with all our heart and soul and so we may live! In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen