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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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1 Thessalonians 3:12-13
“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the Presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.”
Increasing your love.
The first time I discovered verse 12 was when my eldest brother got engaged and I wrote it in the card that I sent congratulating him and his fiancée. I have also quoted it quite often since, to those who have either got engaged or to married couples on their wedding day – “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other.” Certainly, it is needed in our marriages today as much as in everything else.
But Paul was addressing the Church. What we need to realise is that we should enjoy the company of the folk God has brought into the Church as much as those who are very dear and special to us. (Don’t be deceived – they are ‘better’ than those ‘outside’ the Church.)
True, the love I have for Cathryn, my wife, is and should be greater – but only in intimacy. Jesus died for the Church. He died for each one in the Church – so how can I treat them like a stranger, nuisance or outcast?
One of the problems in the church today can be that we are so busy trying to attract new believers and attendees that we forget they will be ‘naturally’ attracted to us if we ‘just’ love them the way Jesus does. Indeed, the people would come in, if they knew the people in the church loved each other already.
What builds security into a family? Father loving and showing his love for mother. Yes, he should love the children, but if he doesn’t love his wife, all the rest is seen as trying to ‘win’ affection, which he has lost or is missing.
Men – love your wife and your children will be secure.
Families – love each other and people will be drawn to you because you are different and have discovered the way of God.
Church people – love each other and the ‘message’ will get out.
Give love and it will return to you.
How we need to pray this prayer for our churches. I know we try very hard to love and care for our flock – but we can all improve, can’t we? You see, it is a corporate thing. One individual cannot do it all. It takes all of us working together. Love overflows. If you really know love, it will overflow. “Love is from God” for “God is love” (see 1 John 4:7 & 16). It overflows from God to us. If we have it – it must “overflow” to others. As we love, so we become strong in ourselves, and we become “blameless and holy”. It’s a natural progression as well as the second prayer.
Listen! Our Lord Jesus is coming back – “with all His holy ones” and we will be ushered into the Presence of His Majesty with God the Father. We will long for that day if we love Him. And if we love Him, we will love “each other” through the “overflow”.
“Anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).
Yes, we need to receive God’s love ourselves, so we can love ourselves before others. But then – go and share it. Don’t keep it all to yourself.
Do you love yourself? Do you love others? Do you love God? Really?
Then…
Let’s keep on praying that our “love [will] increase and overflow for each other” even more.
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