Above all!

And above all these put on love, which binds               everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.                                 Colossians 3:14-15

If there is one characteristic that every believer should display, it is love. Jesus is the prime example of sacrificial love. Paul writes, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The believer’s love for other believers is not optional. We are commanded to love one another by Jesus Christ Himself, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

There is no place in our hearts, not to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. James puts it this way, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).

John MacArthur says the following about loving fellow believers:

“Love is the most important moral quality in the believer’s life, for it is the very glue that produces unity in the church. Believers will never enjoy   mutual fellowship through compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, or patience; they will not bear with each other or forgive each other unless they love one another. “

When we love one another at Grace Harvest, we are   more than just obedient to the Lord’s commands. When we love the way God wants us to love, we will avoid   many of the issues that cause division within a Church.

The Apostle Paul writes of what the love of a follower       of Christ looks like in 1 Corinthians 13. I would encourage you to join me as I teach on this wonderful passage       during the Saturday morning discipleship classes.

May the love that the Lord Jesus Christ showed towards us when He died for us be visible in our lives as we serve Him and the body at Grace Harvest.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark