Love One Another

  "These things I command you, that ye love one another,"   John 15:17

In our Sunday night services, we have been studying the book of John.  When we reached this verse the question arose, exactly how do we as Christians love each other?

Our pastor asked each of us to pray over that question and consider it during the upcoming week and then share our thoughts when we came back together.  Here are some of the responses the following week:

How do we as Christian love one another?

• We put the interests of others above our own
• We pray for each other
• We listen to one another.  It was said that sometimes it takes practice and even work to actively listen to others with mindfulness and caring
• We lead them higher up and deeper into their walk with the Lord by encouraging them, exhorting them and comforting them
• We be with them, both in body and spirit.  We empathize with them.
• We seek them out.  If they have for some reason separated from the body of fellowship, we keep the communication open and seek to restore that fellowship within the guidelines of the Scriptures
• We forgive them.  There is not one of us who has not needed forgiveness at some point, we should all be quick to forgive as well.

I think this is definitely a good start in how to love each other.  Then the question began to grow in my mind about putting these into play in a practical way.  You see, as we go through our day we encounter many people whom we know absolutely nothing about.  We do not know if they are believers or not.  So it would behoove us to treat all men in this manner, so that we are kind and loving to all.

"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another:

 for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." 

Romans 13:8 

 "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, 

and toward all men, even as we do toward you:"

1 Thessalonians 3:12