Loving Others

The Christian life is not one that should be lived in isolation.  People were created for relationships.  1 John tells us that people will know we are Christians by our love for one another.  Loving others is not optional or based on our feelings.  There always seem to be people who are easier to like or get along with based on our personalities and attitudes, but we are still supposed to love everyone in the Body of Christ.  This may look different for different relationships.

We are commanded to love our children and to train them to love the Lord.  This doesn't always sound like a hard task, but we need to keep our love for our children in a healthy balance.  We are not to love them more than God (creating an idol) or more than our husbands.  Children can be very demanding, and it can be easy to put them and their needs above those of our husbands.  We also need to make a conscious effort to teach them God's word.  They are our primary mission field, and we must preach the gospel to them every day.  We are also told that parents who love their children discipline them.  Hebrews 12:9-11 tells us, "Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, so that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."  I don't think anyone likes to be disciplined or corrected.  However, we must do it for the good of our children.  It is not healthy for them to grow up in an environment lacking discipline.  As a teacher, I could tell within the first month of school which homes had the discipline of rules, bedtimes, and expectations that were consistently enforced and which ones did not.  Proverbs 29:17 encourages us with the following admonition: "Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart."

While our relationship with our children is one of authority, there is another similar relationship that all Christians should strive to cultivate.  As you grow in your faith you should seek out a mentor who can help you and instruct you in the faith just as Paul did for Timothy.  This should be someone who is not just physically older than you, but, more importantly, someone who has been a Christian longer.  When I was very young, my mom and dad were young, immature Christians.  They did not grow up in Christian families, and they didn't know what that looked like.  They were dependent on other, more mature Christians to teach them and help them to know how to be godly parents.  My mom now uses that experience as well as her maturity in Christ to teach and help other moms.  In the same way, as you grow in your faith, you should seek to disciple others.  You are to spend time with them not only in the study of God's Word but also in daily living.  Let these women you mentor learn from you as they see you interact in regular daily life.  Model for them what it looks like to be a loving and submissive wife.  Show them how to lovingly discipline children in a way that points them to Christ.   

While our relationship with our children or those with whom we have a mentoring relationship is very close, these are not the only people we are to love.  We are to love everyone.  While our focus should be on those in the Church, we are also told to love our neighbors and even our enemies.  This often takes the form of prayer and hospitality.  We can pray for the needs of others.  Too often people say, "I'm praying for you," without giving the matter any further thought.  Be intentional about praying for others; write it down if that will help.  While prayer is powerful and effective, God also uses his people to meet needs.  Beyond praying for someone, meet the need if you are able.  If someone is looking for kitchen items for a family that has had a fire, and you have an excess of silverware, pass along your extra to those that lack it!  We must also be ever ready to open our home to others.  Sometimes this means sharing dinner with someone in your home.  Other times it means taking a meal that you have prepared for someone who has had a baby, lost a relative, or is recovering from an injury or illness. Be ever ready to allow people into your life and into your home in a way that expresses love and points people to Christ.

Jesus answers the Pharisees’ question as to the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37-40.  "And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”  Loving people sounds easy until we read the part about it being as we love ourselves.  It can be difficult to move past our selfishness to genuine care and concern for others.  Seek to care for the needs of others while pointing them to their greatest need.  Show them what it means to glorify God in all of life and seek out others who will teach and guide you as well.