February is the month for love. We get geared up for Valentines day; a day in which we express our love often with flowers or candies and maybe even special gifts for those we love. What about Jesus, do we express our love to Him as well as to His bride the church? As a part of the church and followers of Jesus we understand the importance of love and showing love and care for one another. The Apostle John was one who understood this. An early church tradition said that when the Apostle John was evidently an old man in Ephesus, he had to be carried to the church in the arms of his disciples. At these meetings, he was accustomed to say no more than, “Little children, love one another!” After a time, the disciples wearied at always hearing the same words, asked, “Master, why do you always say this?” “It is the Lord’s command,” was his reply. “And if this alone be done, it is enough!”
John reminds of this in 1 John 4:7,8 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Think about that for just a moment, if we would truly love one another, how that would take care so many of the problems in the world today. All the anger and animosity, the division, all the racial problems, the hatred, brothers against brothers; it would all be a thing of the past, if we would simply learn to just ‘love one another.’
Every day as Christians we have opportunity to do just that and demonstrate our love for one another. Not only are we commanded to do this but what better way is there to demonstrate Christ’s love for them as well. Let me share an illustration of truly loving another with you from a story heard on a Campus Crusade for Christ Broadcast in 2002.
By the main warehouses that are right down on the river there is a daily operation that occurs. To keep all the barges able to come in you must constantly dredge the channel. And when the sand comes up out of the bottom of the river and is dumped on the side it makes a wonderful place to play on them. There’s really nothing more fun than playing on those huge sand hills and there’s nothing more dangerous. Because, when the sand comes out of the river bottom it’s wet and it creates a crust on top of the hills. You can get on top of them and they will collapse and the sand will sink you down inside the hill. Some years ago, two brothers didn’t come home for dinner and their bikes were found outside the fence where the dredging had been going on. The family began to search frantically as well as other rescuers for the two brothers. They finally found one. He was buried up to his chin in the sand. Because of the pressure of the wet sand and the much around him he was not breathing so they began to dig frantically. When they uncovered him down to his waist, he regained consciousness and the family, in hysterics, began to say, “Where’s your brother? Where’s your brother? Where’s your brother?” And what he said was, “I’m standing on his shoulders.” The one brother had given his life for the life of another. Just as Jesus laid down his life for all of us this young man laid down his life for his brother, why? Because he loved him! 1 John 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Let’s think of ways this month to show others this love of Christ.
Trusting Him,
Pastor Michael Tunnell
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