Have we grown in loving one another?
We began 2020 with the goal to become a people that would grow in loving one another. So, how did we do? Well, it’s virtually impossible to quantify love, but let’s try. To determine if we succeeded, let’s individually answer the following diagnostic questions:
“Did I personally grow in loving one another?”
“What are the evidences of this in my life?”
“Did I say to others how much I love and appreciate them?”
“Did I quickly forgive those who offended me?” • “Who benefited from my acts of kindness and love?”
“How has my heart grown in affection for my fellow members?”
“Have I come to love my church family more or less this year?”
“Was I more or less generous toward others this year?”
Why don’t you take a moment to answer these questions.
Just because the year is over and we are moving onto a new ministry theme, we don’t cease loving one another. The distinguishing mark of the Christian has always been love. From the very inception of Christianity, love has been our highest virtue. Consider the reason historian Rodney Stark gives for why Christianity exploded in number in the first three centuries. Referring to the merciless culture into which Christianity was born he says, “This was the moral climate in which Christianity taught that mercy is one of the primary virtues—that a merciful God requires humas to be merciful. Moreover, the corollary that because God loves humanity, Christians may not please God unless they love one another was something entirely new. Perhaps even more revolutionary was the principle that Christian love and charity must extend beyond the boundaries of family and tribe, that it must extend to “all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2).” Indeed, love and charity must even extend beyond the Christian community.” [“The Rise of Christianity, p.212]
So, let us continue to grow in our love for God and for one another. As the Apostle John wrote, “We love because he first loved us. Keep serving each other. Meet the needs of others. Pray for others. In doing so, we will glorify God and show the world, what true love really is.”
One more thing, I received this excellent idea from one of our members…as you think back through this year, have you received love from someone through some act of kindness or service? Without mentioning any names, could you share your experience with me, written in a couple sentences? Send them to me and I will collect them, and if I get enough entries, I’ll share all of them with you in next week’s final email of the year. Here are some examples: “I felt loved this year when someone came to my door to say hello and dropped off some delicious cookies.” Or “I was feeling particularly low a few months ago when I received a timely phone call from a dear friend. That call couldn’t have come at a more timely moment. She listened to me, offered encouraging words, and prayed for me.” Or “I felt loved this summer when a friend came by for two days and helped me re-lay the bricks on my front steps.”