Not of This Worldنموونە

Day 3: Called to Love One Another

We are familiar with the word ‘love’. It is commonly seen in advertisement slogans, greeting cards and on social media. A fan may use it as an expression of adoration towards an idol. We may use it to describe things, e.g., ‘I love char kway teow!’ Its wide use has caused it to take on multiple meanings. However, what does it really mean in the bible?

Earlier, Peter had already spoken about holiness (1 Peter 1:13-16). In this section, Peter writes on how obedience should lead to loving one another. The love required here has two distinct traits (1 Peter 1:22). Firstly, it should be “sincere” and “from the heart”, being consistent in word and deed to a person’s face and behind the person’s back. It is not in exchange for any personal benefits. Secondly, it is a “deep” love that stretches out or strains, reflects effort and practical action of care. It is not simply superficial niceties.

All these do not sound easy, so how do we even live it out? It is only possible when we are “born again”, rooted in God’s word, which produces love for fellow believers around us. However, to sustain this requires us to desire spiritual nourishment consistently, like how infants crave feeding. Our deeper understanding of God’s love will help us mature, and make loving people a delight, not a chore.

The call to love one another is intrinsically linked to our maturity. While we learn to love more as we mature, conversely, we cannot claim to be mature believers if we have not loved our community. Who are the people in our community whom God is calling us to love today? We are creatures who naturally gravitate towards people who are similar to us, but God does not make such distinction. He calls us to love all around us.

So are we spiritually maturing? One way is to check if we are immersing ourselves in God’s Word, which gives us a desire to please our Saviour. Secondly, does obeying Him feel burdensome and impossible? Let us seek to understand His love more, and rely on the Holy Spirit to love others. He has given us the assurance that His yoke is easy and burden is light.

Prayer points:

• Take some time to reflect on the times when you have been selective in your love towards others. Ask God to help you love those whom you struggle to naturally love and give you the strength and motivation to do so.
• Have we been stagnant in our relationship with God and the reading of His word? Ask God to help you recommit yourself to the regular nourishment of His Word.

Listen:

Abide - The Worship Initiative (feat. Davy Flowers)