And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; Philippians 1:9
Grammatically, ‘love’ is an action verb. The Bible often uses the word, charity, which we associate with giving money or things to people in need. In Greek, there are three prominent words for love: [1] the love of a husband and wife; [2] the love of friends; and [3] the unconditional of love for mankind. We are often encouraged to display the third kind of love for others. That is humanly impossible, because it is a God-sized love. Only God loving others through us will make this possible.
How can we at Faith Baptist Church display this kind of love toward others? What kind of opportunities do we already have, and what opportunities can we create to show Christ’s love to our fellow believers? Here are a few suggestions:
Be openly friendly at church. Shake hands. Look them in the eyes, and truly listen as they speak to you. No hurry—relax.
Note their birthdays and anniversaries. Give a card, with possibly a small gift card enclosed.
For parents, be sure to notice the good things their children do, and compliment them. All of us parents like to hear that.
Invite folks home for a regular meal. It doesn’t have to be fancy, time-consuming nor expensive. Just have them in your home for some out-of-church fellowship.
Sincerely pray for others. Be specific. Look for the Lord to give you a special opportunity to show His love to them.
God will bless us as we love His children. We have a whole church full of opportunities to love and be loved—both by our fellow believers, and by the One Who loves us all immeasurably!