"Abound in Love"

^“and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,” ( 1 Thessalonians 3:12 ESV)

When Christ came in the incarnation, he was hated. Herod hated Him and wanted the Messiah dead. All through the Bible, hate rears its ugly head and is put down by the power of God. Today hate runs rampant.

I have never seen so much hate in my lifetime, and it has increased exponentially in the last decade. We see it between the political parties, extending the government shutdown. We all remember shutdowns, but the hateful rhetoric accompanying this one is tragic. We see it in society with the return of antisemitism in the United States. The hate of Christians all over the world is ever-increasing. I have heard many respected people say it could lead to a civil war.

I pray that Paul’s words to the church in Thessalonica will ring true in your heart. In your prayer, ask God to increase His love in your heart so that you may give that love to others. That you may be a model of our Savior and that your acts of love would stir the heart filled with hate to turn to the Lord and be changed.

Jesus was persecuted, why? Not because He was the Son of God, but because the truth He spoke threatened the wealth and social standing of the few. They hated the truth and blamed the messenger. They did not believe in Him as the Son of God because they did not want the love of God, but coveted the love of themselves. As Christ continued His ministry, His miracles did not delight the few, but increased their hatred of the truth that Jesus was the Son of God. The more people who believed in Jesus, the more the Pharisees and Sadducees hated Him and were further blinded to the truth that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As Christ hung on that cross, He hung there out of love, love for the Father, and love for His people. He prayed for forgiveness for those who persecuted Him. He promised paradise to the thief who repented while hanging on the cross next to Him. Jesus died in pain because He loved. Much like Christ, in the Book of Acts, Stephen was stoned to death for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was stoned to death not because of who he was, but in hate, hate for the truth Stephen spoke.

Hate in any form is self-destructive. It eats you from the inside out, leaving you a broken shell. Yes, we get mad with others, things they say and do, but like Christ, we must return it with love. Even if that love makes us walk away from the hate out of our love for Christ, and the one consumed by that very hate.

As you love, you too will be loved, maybe not by everyone, but by those who see Christ in you. These people are in your life. I see it in my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Two friends in particular, with whom, when I am with them, I see Christ in them. It motivates me to strive to be more like them because I love them, and I pray that I can be a comfort to others like they are to me. I pray this not out of envy or for my ego, but that I might be a comfort to others as they are to me. I find my comfort in the Lord, but His peace is extended through them. There is much to be angry about in this world, but consider how your love, expressed to those around you, can be a comfort to them. That they could think, I am not alone, there are still those filled with love in this world.

So as the Lord gives us love for you, may He increase the love in you towards those around you. Blessed be the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

Grace and Peace