“And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men…” 1 Thessalonians 3:12
Believers should be willing to inconvenience themselves, surrender personal preferences and endure hardship for the benefit of others.
Christ ‘s sacrifice is the pattern.
In 1 John 3:16
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
Verse 17 says “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”
The question is not, “What do I prefer?” but, “What most benefits my brother and glorifies God?”
Self-denial comes through participation in Christ’s death. Christians are united to one another because they are united to the same Lord. Christian fellowship is therefore not merely friendship or shared interests. It is participation in a common life in Christ. The old life of self-rule is judged at the cross. So we learns to live from the resources of the risen Christ rather than the resources of the flesh.
Communion is a vivid reminder of the our participation in Christ. The ordinance does not create the union but signifies and nourishes faith in that union. The closer believers live in communion with Christ, the more they will experience communion with one another.
So if we find ourselves struggling to love difficult people, you would not need to try harder. I urge you to look again at Christ. Consider His patience, His gentleness, His mercy and His sacrifice. The more deeply we grasp how He has loved us, the more freely we will love others. Christian love is not merely imitation of Christ. It is the overflow of communion with Christ.
Author
kay.alli@legalview.co.uk