Colossians 3:12-14; 1 Corinthians 13 – Love
There is perhaps no word in the English language that is so misused and abused as the word love. It is used as a cloak for lust and every kind of wickedness, and yet it is the most wonderful characteristic that a human being can possess because it is a reflection of the God who is love 1 John 4: 8.
Paul here tells the believers that beyond all the wonderful things that he had been speaking about, the believer was to ‘put on love’. It is love that is ‘the lubricant that enables other virtues to function smoothly’. William Hendriksen.
The love of which the apostle speaks is a derivative love, it comes from the God whose very nature is love. This love is something that is not natural to man, it is that love that is ‘shed abroad’ in the heart by the Holy Spirit Rom.5:5 and overflows in the life of the believer 1 Thess. 3:12.
It is because a sinner has experienced the great love of God in Jesus Christ and has the new nature that comes from God, that he is able to respond and to demonstrate something of that love in his own daily life. It is this love that is able to bind believers together in spite of differences of personality, race, and background.
Paul is telling the Colossians that it was not the philosophy, knowledge, and observance of human regulations taught by the false teachers, that would deepen their spiritual lives, but rather the love of God that was in their hearts and which was being demonstrated by their love for one another.
We must never forget that the one thing that really impressed pagan society about the early Christians was not their knowledge of doctrine or even their zeal for the Lord, it was their love for one another (Tertullian, about 200AD), just as Jesus said in John 13:35.
Questions
- In what practical ways can we show our love for others?
Prayer Points
- Pray that you would show love for others.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.