The Power of Love

I shared this passage of scripture in a blog that I wrote a few days ago but I felt that it needed to be brought to our attention once more. The words are written from the hands of Paul as he shared the inspiration of the Spirit with the church at Thessalonica. 2 Thessalonians 1:3, "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing." (NIV))

How often do I thank God for my brothers and sisters in Christ? How often do I applaud and encourage their efforts as they serve within the family of God? How often do I recognize the fact that these men and women are instruments in the hands of God and how often God works through them to encourage me? Is it possible that I may take the family of God for granted and only fully appreciate them during an emergency in my life or in the lives of my family members? The Spirit implies in this passage that thanking God for my brothers and sisters in Christ is something that I "ought" to do! Let's be honest with each other; it is so much easier to criticize, critique and even judge someone than it is to offer prayer, praise and encouragement to our fellow travelers on the road of life. 

Paul also noticed something else very significant taking place among the Thessalonians. I will let him express it in his own words; "...and the love all of you have for one another is increasing." WOW, now that is the type of church that I would like to attend. Paul identified people drawing closer to one another rather than drawing apart from one another. Paul saw love rather than dislike or even hatred. Paul recognized that the love for each other was "increasing" rather than decreasing. Undoubtedly people were seeing the positive characteristics in each other rather than the negative characteristics in each other. What do we see when we attend our local corporate worship gatherings? What is our attitude/mood when we leave a corporate church setting? 

Is our love for one another increasing or is it decreasing?