OCTOBER 2, 2024
1 Thessalonians 3:12
“And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows”
Today let us think about the practice of loving one another as spiritually produced. Look closely at today's verse, “And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows”. Observe who is nurturing and expanding our love to its fullest. It is none other than the Lord Himself. The phrase "may the Lord make" carries two profound meanings.
First, we are inspired to love others because of the Lord’s love for us. We have made this point a few times in this series of devotions. As followers of Jesus we look to his example as a pattern for living. Now, the teaching here around "may the Lord make" is not suggesting you love against your will, as in “if you don’t, I will make you.” What God’s Word is saying is, due to the fact that Jesus loves you so much and He has poured His love into your heart and life, you are so overwhelmed by this love that it causes you, makes you, motivates you, and inspires you to love others. The overwhelming love of Jesus toward us fills us with such joy and gratitude and LOVE that we are transformed in our way of dealing with others. I guess we could say that Jesus love for us makes us more loving loving people.
There is a second implication we should note from this phrase, “may the Lord make” your love grow and overflow. It points us to the true source of true love. Only the Jeus has the power to instill genuine love for others and nurture true love within us. Jesus stands as the cornerstone of all authentic love. That is why we seek God's grace to expand our love and let it abound. I believe we all understand that neither you nor I can stir up the kind of love that extends and overflows into the lives of others on our own.
A love that "grows and overflows" into the lives of others, even into the life of those that are hard to love, I think we all have one or two folk like that in our life. Perhaps they are individuals that ignored, neglected, abused, and shamefully treated you, but yet you are able to extend love to them. This can only be an outcome that is the work of a God of perfect love. Deepening our love involves seeking growth through God. We ask for His help to broaden our love for others. The Bible teaches us that God embodies love and is the ultimate source of all true love.
This love is supernatural, a spiritual work that only God possesses and can give us.
LET US PRAY
Jesus make our love for one another and for all people grow and overflow by your power and love that is at work in us. Amen
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