Feb 14, 2013
Read | John 13:34-35
Jesus spent His last evening before the crucifixion reminding the disciples of essential principles. Kneeling to wash their feet, He gave them a new commandment—to love one another. In fact, over the course of the evening, He would repeat that phrase five times (John 13:34-35; 15:12, 17). He emphasized the command because He knew it was not only critically important but also one of the toughest to obey.
Putting self-interest before the needs of others is what comes naturally. But since the believer’s old self has been crucified, God’s Spirit can live in and through him or her. Giving of ourselves on behalf of someone else fits who we are in Christ. In fact, we show God’s love best when we care for others—especially those who aren’t easy to love.
In Paul’s New Testament letters, he picked up Jesus’ “love one another” refrain and suggested specific ways to obey. He said to accept one another (Rom. 15:7), bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2), be subject to one another (Eph. 5:21), and live in peace with one another (1 Thess. 5:13). In teaching churches and mentoring young pastors, Paul relied on the same principles Jesus taught: to love God and each other. That’s what it means to be a church that honors the Lord’s name and is attractive to unbelievers.
If you were asked what you find most attractive about God, wouldn’t you say it’s His love? His plan is to use His children to meet emotional, material, spiritual, and physical needs everywhere. So God’s love should overflow from us to fill the empty hearts and hands of those in our sphere of influence.
God bless you!
Amen
|
The Danger in Being a Christian: It began as a Jewish sect; fierce persecution only helped it spread Today's reading: Acts 8 Acts 8:1 On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. In some countries, a person who becomes a Christian forfeits a good education and job. And in a few countries, a person who converts risks his or her life. One church historian estimates that more Christians were martyred in the twentieth century than in all preceding centuries put together. Yet, strangely, more often than not, intense persecution of Christians leads to a spurt of growth in the church. An ancient saying expresses this phenomenon: "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church." The First Big Advance For a while, the new faith enjoyed popular favor. But very soon it involved grave risk. In the book of Acts, the persecution that produced the first Christian martyr, St...
Comments
Post a Comment