...."And Have Not Love"?----- I Might As Well Forget It!

"We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,...that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
(2 Thessalonians 1:3 & 12)

This is the command, not just a prayer for the Church Universal.  Now some may say that these verses are not "connected."  No, they are not, that is chronologically.  But they are theologically.  In short, when "the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other," I can think of no better way "that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ [is] glorified in you, and you in Him...."

Every one of us has either someone whom we do not like or have had a "falling out" with, or at least, someone who has the same attitude toward us.  If we as Believers in Jesus Christ do not solve this problem, we might as well stop church------  "and have not love, I am nothing," literally in the Greek, "an absolute nothing, zero."  Translation: Forget worship, prayer, missions, church activities, giving to the poor, witnessing, etc.  if, "have not love," rules in any of us, in any local church, everything we do is all for naught, nada, zilch------------- Zero! 

So how do we start?  I still remember my Dad's answer when I once asked him, "How do you love people you don't like?"  He said, "Do loving things."  What a great theologian!  Biblically, love is not a noun.  Love is a verb.  Jesus did not speak of love as a feeling.  He spoke of love as a command!  Love is not something we feel.  Love is something we do.  How different our Church and culture would be if we allowed the "God-Breathed" Word to disciple us rather than Hollywood.

This may sound like an "altar call," but really, do you have someone that you just do not like?  Thus says the Blessed Trinity, "Get over it!" Do something loving for that person.  Someone once said that if you do something for 21 days it becomes a habit---------- blessed addiction!!

Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray that Your definition of love will be a description of my life-- patient, kind, not jealous, does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." Amen.
***************************
*     Read what Obama's socialism will do to small businesses at:
     www.antipasprayerforce.blogspot.com
*     Please pray with us about the intense mission schedule this fall.

"Looking Unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2



**************
Snoop, Lil Wayne, Lady GaGa -- land the tix you need for this summer's biggest tours. Tourtracker.com (http://www.tourtracker.com/?ncid=emlcntusmusi00000007)