Love
(Second in a series of one-anothering articles)

by R. Cody Smith  
 
From Footsteps October 11, 2004

In the New Testament there are to be found at least twenty-two verses that address what we as Christians are commanded to do, for, to, and with one another. When viewed as a collection of directives that embody the spirit of what church is supposed to be like, they also provide what are perhaps, hidden keys to discovering the abundant, but often-illusive, promised Christian life. Activities which we like to call oneanothering, and the greatest of these is love… 

       One of the things that I have learned through my experience with God is the economy of his endeavors. In fact I consider it a signature of his hand at work when I see several extraordinary things being accomplished at the same time. He is with out doubt, the consummate multi-tasker. It came as no surprise to me when I first began to witness the fruit of oneanothering.

Inner healing
Beyond food and shelter one of the greatest human needs is love. Scientific studies have shown that babies deprived of love develop at a much slower rate than those who have been lovingly cared for. The long-term consequences of such deprivation are the obvious cause of the countless cultural disasters we are experiencing in our society today.

       Of course the love of God is freely given to all, but because of our fallen state, not always so easily laid hold of.  If we have never known love, it is hard, perhaps impossible to imagine what it could be like. Nowadays there are support groups for just about every malady imaginable. Why not consider the Body Of Christ as a place where we can encounter others who are destitute and desperate to know the love of God in their lives, a place where we can encourage each other in faith and deed to be able to appropriate all the love God has for us.

Transformation
Saying that I love someone whom I’ve never met,  probably isn’t going to change things for either of us, but actually loving someone that God has sovereignly thrust into my life is where the challenge lies, and the possibilities for my own transformation abound. Love must work its way in me first; invariably a part of me must die in order that I can truly love someone else. 

       It is difficult giving away something when we feel we have so little ourselves, but by acting in faith, giving our widows mite, we can actually make room in our own hearts for more of the love of God. What goes around, seems to come around, it always starts with giving and ends with receiving. Love may be the only commodity in the universe that comes in an inexhaustible supply. 

       True love accompanies a life being lived in pursuit of Jesus, It’s something you really can’t fake, but you can stimulate it, stir it up, ask for it. It is contagious, and love is its own reward, and what God himself seems to thrive on.

Introducing others to the God and the Gospel of love 

For a long time I believed that people would be drawn to God by my love for them, but love unrequited is not a full expression of what love could be. Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you.” We are called to love one another and to be an embodiment of God’s love that can be accounted for in no other way, undeniably, fully accredited to him alone. This is our witness to the World.  

       If World evangelism seems an insurmountable task, perhaps it’s because we have the wrong perspective. Even if we cannot love the whole world, can’t we love just one? “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

      The future of the Kingdom of God on earth lies in a mountain of mistrust and fears being ever resolutely melted away by a living and vibrant Gospel being manifest in the lives of the saints, and preached by a thousand intentional acts of love. Therefore love one another….