Good Morning Friends,
“About brotherly love we do not need to write
to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. In fact,
you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers,
to do so more and more. Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, mind your
own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so your daily life
may win the respect of outsiders and you will not be dependent on anybody.” (1
Thessalonians 4:9-12)
The church is a family with God as the Father. God’s
children are brothers and sisters within the family. Not all families get
along. In some families, competition dominates as each member tries to outdo
the others. In others, jealousy is the hallmark as some members think others
have gotten all the breaks and are treated with favoritism. In others, hatred
seems the primary characteristic, toward parents and toward siblings, too.
In God’s family, love is to be the dominant
characteristic. Love demonstrated by genuinely seeking the best for your
brothers and sisters. Love that desires others success and rejoices when they
do. Love that goes out of its way to help the rest of the family, meeting needs,
encouraging, doing whatever will help them in their relationship with the
Father and their lives. Jesus said that love will be such a dominant characteristic
in His family that those outside the family would see that love and know there
was a connection to Him! “By this all men will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
One characteristic of love is that it doesn’t
take advantage of others. There were some in the Thessalonian church who took
from the rest, rather than giving to them. They were dependent on their brothers
and sisters for support. When it is necessary, being dependent on your family
is fine. The family should be there for those who need it. To be dependent on
the family because you aren’t willing to pull your own weight isn’t fine. It
doesn’t reflect the love God desires to see in His family.
His, by Grace, Steve
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