“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.”

There are five great principles that Paul was praying for His flock to receive in these three short verses:

1. That your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment. This is a prayer that as you get to know the Lord and understand His will for your life, that your love for Him will grow and fill you to overflowing.
2. That you may approve the things that are excellent. As you grow in your faith and love for the Lord, He will give you wisdom to make right decisions and help you know how to please Him in everything you do.
3. That you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. In Spanish, the word sincere means “without wax”. When a pottery vessel was fired in a kiln and a crack or flaw appeared, the crevice could be filled with wax and then painted to make it appear perfect. But a vessel that was flawless after going through the fire was much more valuable. It was marked as a “sincere” vessel–one with no wax-filled imperfections. The Lord is working to make each of us perfect and without blemish. Sometimes we have to go through fiery trials to temper our resolve, but when He is finished with us, we will be the most valuable vessels of honor, fit for His most noble purposes.
4. That you may be filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ. As the Holy Spirit works in you to make you perfect, He will develop fruits in your life that will exhibit your righteousness to the world. These include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22) This prayer is that you will be filled with all the best fruits that delight your and God’s heart.
5. To the glory and praise of God. Finally, as the Lord develops love and wisdom and perfection and fruits of righteousness in your heart, your entire life will become a praise to God. He will receive the proper glory not only from you, but from those whom your life and light touch as well.

“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men…Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” (1 Peter 2:15-17)

Be a light! Live for the Lord! Laugh for joy! Love well! For you are loved by God.

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“I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms…I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.”

God knows our weaknesses; He understands our frailty. He does not leave us to flounder or to figure things out on our own. He helps us in our walk of faith by holding both of our hands so we won’t fall down. He binds us with cords of love to keep us from wandering too far from Him. He lifts the heavy burdens that weigh us down and discourage us and gives us His easy yoke. He comes down to our level and holds us and feeds us. Then He raises us up and lifts His countenance upon us, just like a daddy lifts his little baby high and smiles up at him or her.

Even when you fall down and mess up, God’s love for you never fails. When Israel was at his lowest point of sin the Lord said,

“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?…My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred…For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror.” (Hosea 11:8-9)

That is how God sees you. His heart is knit to yours. He loves you with an everlasting love. Run to your Father today. Call out to Him, “Abba, Father!” And He will run to you. Raise up your hands and He will take you in His arms and give you a big hug.

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Have you thought about what it looks like to love your neighbor as yourself? Yes, you can rightly say that we should “treat others the way we want to be treated”, that is what we call the Golden Rule. But that is vague.  Realistically and practically, what does loving your neighbor look like? Leviticus 19 gives many good ideas of how to love both God and your fellow man. Here are just a few that I gleaned today:

1. Honor God’s Sabbaths.
2. Honor your parents.
3. Worship God, not idols.
4. Give to the poor.
5. Be honest.
6. Help the handicapped.
7. Be fair.
8. Be forgiving.
9. Don’t gossip.
10. Honor the elderly.
11. Be kind to strangers.

There are many other ways in that chapter that I did not mention. Take a look for yourself at Leviticus 19. These practices may be “Old Testament” laws, given to God’s people, but I think they are still applicable for all of us today. When we love our neighbor as ourselves, that too is an act of worship to God. There is no commandment greater than these two—loving God and loving men. What are you doing to show love to your fellow man today? Be encouraged in all you are doing for God and others!

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The world has a very skewed view of what love should look like. But what does the Bible say about how we should show our love? Romans 12:9 says, “Let love be without hypocrisy.” And just how should we love and not become hypocrites? Romans 12:9-13 gives us a list of ten ways to show our true love:

1. Abhor what is evil.
2. Cling to what is good.
3. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love.
4. In honor, give preference to one another.
5. Do not lack diligence, but serve the Lord with a fervent spirit.
6. Rejoice in hope.
7. Be patient in tribulation.
8. Continue steadfastly in prayer.
9. Give to the needs of other believers.
10. Pursue hospitality.

Pursuing hospitality is an especially interesting one to me. Did you know that the Greek word for pursuing here is the same term that was used to describe what Saul was doing to the believers in the Early Church? He was going after them, capturing them and dragging them back to Jerusalem to be imprisoned. I know this sounds odd, but we, too, are to go out of our way to capture people with the love of God and compel them not only to receive our hospitality but also to be introduced to our Lord. We are to use the same passion and haste to show others kindness as Saul used to persecute!

The Lord implored us to, “…Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.’” Luke 14:23

How are you practicing hospitality? Are you compelling others to come to your Lord’s house? Are you not just inviting people to attend your congregation, but are also going out to bring them to Him? Are you showing people the same love and kindness that God has shown you?

There is an old saying, “To kill someone with kindness…” This phrase originated from observing mother apes who hugged their babies so much that they literally smothered them. May you be filled with so much of the love of the Lord that you can’t help but bubble over onto everyone who gets near you. But don’t worry about smothering someone…the Lord will breathe new life into them as they are drawn to meet Him! And may you, too, feel the warm and loving embrace of the Lord all around you today!

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