Based on “The Church—Why We Do What We Do, Part 3” by Pastor Mark Balmer;
2/20-21/10, Message #MB408; Daily Devotional #3 - “Love Christian Brothers and Sisters”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): We all need to grow. Going to church and reading your Bible is a good start. But if it is not applied, you are going to stay a “baby” Christian and rob yourself of your full potential. I don’t know about you, but I can’t even remember how to do algebra and geometry problems from school, since I do not exercise them on a daily basis. If the knowledge we have is not applied on a daily basis, we soon forget how to use what we have learned. There is not one of us who can say we have no further need to grow, as we will never reach perfection here on earth. Don’t let pride keep you from being teachable. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NLT)
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): As we grow, our goal is to become more like Christ. Christ knew all the Scriptures and lived a perfect life, yet He was humble to the point of death on the cross. He lived the perfect example of the Spirit filled life; He did not sin. He did not deserve death by the humiliation of crucifixion. He endured the humility because of His perfect love for us. He knew it was the only way to ever bridge the gap between our sin and GOD’s holiness. As Christ followers we are to mirror Christ’s perfect love, especially to our own brothers and sisters. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your good example. (I Peter 5:3, NLT) You younger men, accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “GOD sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble” In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” (I Peter 5:5, NLT) Often we are so anxious to go make “converts” that we forget to love our own Christian brothers and sisters. If we are going to make “disciples,” not “converts,” we need to show the perfect love of Christ to each other as well as to the world. Be real with each other. We are all broken and imperfect. Too often, we quarrel or condemn each other within the body of Christ. If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters. (1 John 4:20-21, NLT) Let us keep our focus; the battle is not with each other but with the enemy.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Our spiritual maturity needs to start within. Build a strong foundation from which to go out to the rest of the world. We need to show that we have what the rest of the world wants, real LOVE. We all can learn from each other, and we all have been given spiritual gifts and talents intended to further the Kingdom of God. Not only are we to use our gifts to reach the lost but also to encourage and edify our Christian brothers and sisters. …Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians13:11, NLT) What stranger in the church have you invited over to dinner this week?
Cultivating (Additional Reading): I John 4:7-21
JE
Calvary Chapel of Melbourne; 2955 Minton Road; W. Melbourne, FL 32904; 321-952-9673
All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.
New Living Translation = NLT.