Start Here: The Greatest of These Is Love
Bible passage: 1 Corinthians 13:13; 1 John 4:7–8
Seven Days on Love
Thank you for joining our 7 Days of Prayer and Fasting as we approach Easter 2022. From Friday 8th to Thursday 14th of April we are going to pray, fast and think about one subject: love.
Paul wrote that three things last for ever, faith, hope and love, and that “the greatest of these is love” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT). John goes further still. He says that love comes from God, that everyone who loves has been born of God and knows Him, and that God is love (1 John 4:7–8).
Easter is where we see that love most clearly. So before we stand at the cross on Good Friday, we are going to spend a week asking God to fill us with His love and to teach us how to love one another.
What We Will Cover
Six Words for Love
The ancient Greeks had several different words where we have only one. Not all of them appear in the New Testament, but each one describes something the Bible speaks about plainly.
Day 1: Eros. Romantic love, which God designed for marriage.
Day 2: Philia. The warm, loyal love between friends.
Day 3: Storge. The natural affection that holds a family together.
Day 4: Pragma. Mature love that lasts through the years.
Day 5: Philautia. A right view of yourself as someone God made and loves.
Days 6 and 7: Agape. The unconditional, self-giving love of God, shown to us in Jesus.
Jesus told His disciples that their love for one another would show the world that they belong to Him (John 13:34–35). That is our aim this week.
How to Use These Guides
A Simple Daily Pattern
Each day gives you a Bible passage, a short reflection, some prayer points and a prayer. Use them in your own time with God, and bring them with you to our evening prayer meetings.
Read slowly. Open your Bible to the passage and read it before you read the reflection.
Pray the points. Each one is a starting place. Stay with it until you have prayed it through in your own words.
Write it down. Keep a notebook beside you. Record what God says and what you ask Him for.
Ways to Fast This Week
Fasting makes room for God. We go without something we normally rely on so that our hunger turns towards Him.
A complete fast. Liquids only, for one or more days.
A selective fast. Leaving out certain foods, such as meat, sweets and bread.
A partial fast. No food for a set part of the day, such as sunrise to sunset.
A non-food fast. Laying down social media, television or another habit.
A note on health: if you have a medical condition, are pregnant or are unsure whether a food fast is safe for you, please speak to your doctor first or choose a non-food fast.
We do not fast to earn God’s love. We fast because we already have it and we want more of Him.
For the King and the Kingdom,
Pastor Ras
Prayer for Today:
Father, thank You that You are love. As I set aside these seven days, draw me close to You. Show me how deeply You love me, and change the way I love my family, my friends, my church and those who are hard to love. Prepare my heart for the cross and the empty tomb. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Keep going
See every day of this guide on our Prayer & Fasting page.
Let us pray with you: send a prayer request.
Join one of our prayer meetings.
