1Th 3:12-13 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
We all want our hearts to be found blameless in holiness before the Father, do we not? SO how do we go about doing that? Do we run around and point out everyone’s flaws? Do we tell everyone we meet how much of a sinner they are, and condemn them to hell? Maybe we can be found blameless of we make it a point every day to remind each other how much of a failure we are when it comes to being a Christian…. While I am sure we can all think of people who are convinced that one, if not all of these are the correct answer, and if we are honest with ourselves, maybe we even think a point or two might be correct, we would all benefit from reading the verse again. Paul is praying that the Lord increases and abound in love. Love for one another, and for all.
Interesting, so that answer seems to be that we start from a point of love. When I think of Christ, I am reminded just how loving we are called to be. I cannot think of one time where someone in need, someone that we hurting, someone that was lost, came to Christ, and Christ turned them away. I can’t think of one time where he condemned them, and told them that there was no hope for them. No Christ showed me a picture of what it meant to change someone’s life by loving them. Loving them when the world would have us believe, no one else would, could, or really should love that person. Christ did not admonish, scold, or beat down those in need, He opened His arms, and loved the sin out of them. Just as He did, and continues to do for me (I need all of that I can get), and he does for you. The harsh stuff, if you go back and read, was saved for the people who spoke of love and forgiveness, yet practiced the opposite, it was saved for the hypocrite, the self-righteous, and those who would try and use religion as a means to an end. This is how we are called to live, love the lost, forgive the repentant, and live for the Lord.
The Christmas season is kicking off, and for some it is in full swing already. Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians, is my prayer for each of you. May the Lord fill your hearts with love for one another, and for everyone. I pray that this holiday season if a start of a new season for you. I pray that we can see that the way to the hearts of those around us is through loving them…..loving them at the very moment that they might think they deserve it the least. That my friends is loving with grace. That is the love that is given to us from God. That is the love that this season is all about, it is my prayer that that type of love overflows from all of us this season, so that we might brightly shine the light of the Lord onto this dark world, and drowned out the shadows in our lives, and the lives of those around us, so that we might all be found blameless in holiness before God. Remember, love covers a multitude of sins.
God Bless,
Brian Thetford
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