Increasing and abounding love

Hello everyone,

How are you doing? I hope well and bubbling in the Lord.

Primary Text

“We ought and indeed are obligated [as those in debt] to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing exceedingly and the love of every one of you each toward the others is increasing and abounds.” 2 Thessalonians 1v3 (AMP)

Naturally, or to a great extent, we find it easy to be kind to those who are kind to us, to love our family and those we perceive to be our real friends. It’s not so easy, naturally, to like or love strangers or people who are mean to us. You might have found that before giving your life to Christ, you didn’t even really like people, you liked your own space, but after giving your life to Him and He began to do a work in your heart by His Spirit, you started loving people, being hospitable, you began to care for people who are not related to you, became saddened at the plight of strangers and began to feel a love for believers. Only God can do this. In fact that Bible tells us that “… for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love” (Romans 5v5, TLB). We therefore have God’s love in our hearts. John 13v35 (TLB) says “Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are My disciples.” Amen. Imagine people from different cultures, countries, backgrounds, families, tribes, loving one another. Only because of Jesus can this happen, and this is a proof to the world that we are His disciples.

Prayer

And so Lord we thank You for this love that is put in our hearts by the Spirit of God. We pray from 1 Corinthians 13v4-8 (AMP) that through God’s love in us, we would continue to endure long, be patient and kind; not be envious, nor boil over with jealousy, or boastful, vainglorious nor display ourselves haughtily. We pray that we would not be conceited, arrogant, or inflated with pride, that we would not be rude, unmannerly or act unbecomingly. We pray that because of God’s love in us we would not insist on our own rights or our own way, for we would not be self-seeking. We pray that we would not be touchy, fretful, resentful or take account of the evil done to us, neither will we pay attention to a suffered wrong. We pray that we would not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but we will rejoice when right and truth prevail; that we would bear up under anything and everything that comes, we would be ever ready to believe the best of every person, that our hopes will be fadeless under all circumstances and endure everything without weakening. We thank You because this love in us would never fail, never fade out, become obsolete or come to an end. Thank You for this great love of God in us, may it continue to grow stronger and stronger and abound in Jesus name we pray, amen.