CONTACT US

Love One Another
by A.J. Wilson

“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. . . My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth”1 Jo 3:14,18

The Bible has a lot to say about how we should treat one another.  It is very clear that when we interact with others, we should do so in LOVE (John 13:35).  We are told to serve others (John 13:15), pray for them (Math 5:44), turn the other cheek (Math 5:39), not to use unjust standards in judgment (Math 7:1-5), and to treat them as yourself (Math 22:39), in addition to other exhortations.  When was the last time you examined how you treat others?  If you are like me it can change from day to day.  When things are going well we give compliments and handshakes, and another day may find it difficult to even smile.  We must find love within us even on a bad day, it is part of the cross we have been commissioned to carry. 

A passage that I look to a lot and is often misinterpreted is Matthew 7:1-5.  First of all it does not stop at verse one, saying, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”  An abundance of sin is allowed to remain in the church because people feel like they cannot “judge” a person’s actions.  We must confront our brothers in order to correct their sin, or we will not truly love them (remember the Proverbs 13:24, 23:13-14.)  Most people skip verse 2, which is actually where the love comes in to the picture.  We are to use a standard that we would want applied to us.  The following verses 3-5 remind us to look at our own faults and approach our brother with a remembrance that we too have done wrong.  We expect others to “cut us some slack” when we have done wrong, or had a bad day, and that is what Jesus says we should do for others while we confront their sins.

I thought of the love shown in our church and I made an acrostic of some the words that came to my mind.  While you read through the references this week, use your own meditations to try one of your own.

LIVING – Our love must not be in word only, it needs feeling and life
OPPORTUNITY – A well placed show of love can change so much
VITAL – We all need to be loved, it is what helps keep us going
ENERGY – Love radiates from one person to the next, filling a room

TRIVIA: What king said, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian”?

©Copyright 2008 Rowletts Baptist Church.  All rights reserved.
Hosted and Designed by S & M Computer Services