Paul the
apostle knew the Thessalonians understood “brotherly love”.
They were “taught of God to love one another”,
and Paul was only there to remind them to apply it. In chapter four
and verse ten of his letter, Paul tells the Thessalonians to
“increase more and more”
in their love for others where we read:
And indeed
you do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia:
but we
beseech you, brethren, that you increase more and more;
The
verse begins, “And indeed you do it toward all the
brethren which are in all Macedonia:” Paul
began with the words, “And indeed”
which means “even, for, no doubt, seeing then and verily” “you
do it” or “make, prepare,
produce, acquire and provide it” “toward”
which means “unto, to, for and among” “all the
brethren” who are “a
brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same
father or mother; a fellow believer who is united to another by the
bond of affection” “which
are in all” which refers to
“the whole and complete area of ” “Macedonia”
which means “extended land” and was “a country bounded on the
south by Thessaly and Epirus, on the east by Thrace and the Aegean
Sea, on the west by Illyria, and on the North by Dardania and Moesia”
. Not only were the Thessalonians loving toward one another, but they
were loving to the people of Macedonia as well.
The
verse goes on to say, “but we beseech you, brethren, that you
increase more and more;” Paul continued with the word, “but”
which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
stated takes precedence over what was just written, “we beseech
you” or “call to one's side, call for, summon, address, speak
to, exhort, entreat and instruct you” “brethren” which
refers to “a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only
of the same father or mother; a fellow believer who is united to
another by the bond of affection” “that you increase” or
“exceed a fixed number of measure, to be over, remain, be at hand
in abundance, overflow and excel” “more and more” which
means “to a greater degree, by far, more willingly, more readily
and sooner”. Not only were the Thessalonians to continue in their
“brotherly love” toward others, but they were also to
“overflow and excel” in it.
When
we think about these words of Paul, we are challenged to examine our
love toward others. Do we “love” people in the manner Paul
describes? Are we “increasing” in our “brotherly
love” toward people we know and those who are different than
we? The Lord Jesus loves everyone, and God Almighty sent His Son
Jesus to die for “everybody's” sin. The scriptures say, “God
is love”, and there is no one who is exempt from the love of
God. This is the standard for us. We must “increase more and
more” in our love for others, and only by the power of the Holy
Spirit will we ever “overflow and excel” in our love for them.
May the Lord Jesus help us to know when we do not love others in the
manner Paul describes, and may we “increase more and more”
in our emulation of Him.
Next
time Paul tells the Thessalonians to “study to be quiet
and do” their “own
business” in their love toward
others, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment