And may the Lord make you increase and abound
in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, - 1 Thessalonians 3.12
The older I get and the more I look at the scriptures the
more I see how much God wants us to be people of love. Love permeates the word
of God and it is what defines the church. In every one of Paul's letter he
writes about the importance of love.
Here Paul is praying and encouraging the Thessalonian believers
to 'increase and abound in love.' They were already known as people of love and
Paul reminds them that it should keep increasing and keep abounding.
He tells them that they should increase and abound in love
for each other. That's understandable, we are known by the love that we have
for reach other.
But that's not all. He wants them to increase and abound in
love to all - to everyone.
The kind of love Paul writes about is a superabounding love.
It is love with love left over. It is over the top love. It is love that is
full to the brim and then keeps on filling so that is is overflowing. It is love that dominates our words and thoughts an actions.
How is our love for the brethren and our love for everyone
compared to that standard? Is it just ‘there’ or is it overflowing in our
lives?
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