MAY YOUR LOVE INCREASE AND OVERFLOW FOR EACH OTHER

Proclamation:

“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.”  1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Thessalonica.  In this third chapter, Paul expresses his love and concern for the Thessalonians. (1 Thessalonians 3:1-7)  He also tells them of his desire to see them again. (1 Thessalonians 3:9-11)  Then he ends by praying that The Lord God will increase their love for each other and that He will strengthen their hearts.

Application:

Here the word “love” is not an affectionate term.  It implies an active seeking of the welfare of another.  “Love” here has a purpose; it is not an end in itself. (According to Bible scholar J. Vernon McGee)  Paul prays for the believers to have love for all men, and for the purity of their heart.  We would do well to pray this prayer for each other.  We all need God’s help because some of the people we encounter are difficult to love.  Also, it is difficult for us not to think evil and sinful thoughts, and to maintain a pure heart and mind.  We need for God to create within us a clean heart and a right spirit. (Psalm 51:10)  For the pure in heart shall see God. (Psalm 24:4 and Matthew 5:8)  Be reminded of the fact that Jesus, The Christ, is coming again to gather up His own.

WE NEED TO LOVE MORE

Proclamation:

"A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another."  John 13:34-35 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, as He spoke to His disciples, as recorded by the Apostle John, the disciple who referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved.  Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another.  He said that the world would know that they were His disciples by the way they spoke to, treated, and behaved with one another.

Application:

As believers we have hope, and we have faith, but what we need is more love.  We do not need more love from God, He has already proven His love for us. (John 3:16 and Romans 5:8)  We need to love each other more than we do.  We need to demonstrate our love for one another more often.  We need to perform more random acts of kindness towards others, without expecting to receive anything in return. (Luke 14:13-14)  God is love. (1 John 4:8 and 4:16)  Since God dwells within us, we should exhibit His love in our actions towards others.  The world needs more love, and it should begin with those of us who believe.  We must act Christ-like and demonstrate examples to the world regarding how they should behave.  In the end, we will be judged first, judged on how well we followed The Lord's commands.  Judgment will begin with those of us in The Church. (1 Peter 4:17)  Let us live up to our titles, “Christian”, “Believer”, “Child of God”, and let us demonstrate a Christ-like love for one another.  The world needs more love and we are the agents of love.

LET'S DEMONSTRATE GOD'S PERFECT LOVE

Proclamation:

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God ... Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins ... since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another ... but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us ... If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is The Son of God, God lives in him and he in God ... God is love ... There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear ... If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."  1 John 4:7-21 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle John.  Here John offers a description of what perfect love, Godly love, is and tells how we can achieve it and demonstrate it.  The Spirit of God within us imparts to us the will to love each other.  This is how love is mad complete among us so that we will have the confidence to say that we are like Christ. (1 John 4:17)

Application:
God loves us and He has proven it.  If we love God, we will love our fellow man because God is love and God is within us.  We cannot love God and hate one another.  We should pray that God will help us to love each other.  We must learn to demonstrate the love of God in our daily interactions with our fellow man.  By our doing this, the world will know that we are believers in Christ. (John 13:35)  By performing random acts of kindness for one another, and for non-believers, we demonstrate the love of God that is within us.  Love in not just a spoken emption, it requires action in order to be manifested.

BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS

Proclamation:

"Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke during the beginning of His Sermon on The Mount as recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Matthew.  Peace makers are happy people.  They love, desire, and delight in peace.  They keep the peace that it may not be broken, and they attempt to recover it whenever is it broken.

Application:

Do you know someone who always seems to be trying to keep the peace, always trying to stop two others from arguing or fighting.  They never seemed to want to take one side or the other, saying something like “you are both right and you are both wrong.”  Peacemakers are not just sitting on the fence.  They are capable of making a decision, they have decided that we should all “just get along” and love each other.  The Bible teaches us that we should love our enemies.  Peacemakers are just trying to remind us of that, trying to help us engage rational thought instead of letting our emotions cause us to fly off the handle.  They are at peace with God and their desire is to live in peace with all men, and to have all men live in peace with each other. (Romans 5:1)  Their peace with Christ enables them to be ambassadors of God's message to a troubled world.  So, don't put down those who promote peace, they may be promoting God's message of love.  You may not agree with either side, but fighting is not the answer.