“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” John 15:12 (NLT)
Love is the root system that anchors and enables us to fulfill Christ’s desire that we, His followers and representatives in this world, be unified. Without it, we don’t stand the slightest chance of standing with one another, much less being one. So our unity starts right here with these three words: love each other.
It would be a lot easier to love because I have developed the habit of love than to just love out of the overflow of my heart. One way of being committed to the church would be doing things out of duty. Doing things out of duty somehow seems too mechanical. I love because I have to. How about loving first and then do the things and love people out of that love instead of out of duty? There would be so much less burnout. What a concept – by loving and not doing it out of duty I continue to do the things I love to do without the burnout.
What makes all of this possible is the very word Jesus uses for love. It’s the Greek word agape, and it doesn’t refer to the conditional “scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-
Have you ever had an experience in your life where you really sensed those around you unconditionally loved you? My prayer is that you experience that here at Findlay First Nazarene. Why not take the unconditional love God pours into you and give it away to others? If you can do that, it will come back to you in ways only God can orchestrate.
This Sunday as I continue my series, “Maneuvering the Ships of Life,” I will be talking about discipleship. Without discipleship, we would stay on spiritual milk the rest of our lives. As I look around, I don’t see many people still on their bottles from when they were a baby, but I have seen a few bibs. That’s another story for another day.
Don’t forget to plan on coming to the Picnic on the Lawn this Sunday at 5:00 p.m. It’s going to be a great day of worship as we gather together in Jesus’ name on Sunday morning, and a great day of fellowship on Sunday night as we gather for a meal together. Bring a lawn chair, a side dish, your family, and come meet some new people. Both services will merge together for a wonderful time.
Joy in Jesus!
Pastor Mike
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