Love: increasing and abounding

"Ok, I get it."

So starts my journal entry for this morning. The Men read the epistle reading for this upcoming First Sunday of Advent. 1 Thessalonians 3.9-14. Then I read the Moravian Daily Texts for today. Deuteronomy 29.18, "Make sure there is no root among you that produces such a bitter poison." And, you guessed it, 1 Thessalonians 3.12, "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you."

Does God ever repeat himself to you? He does to me. Probably because I am a slow learner. A slow repenter.

Jesus says that one of the shaking things in the Church at the close of the age will be a false and manipulative use of words, and increase in lawlessness, and a decrease of love - "The love of many will grow cold." Matthew 24.12

No wonder Jesus, Paul, John, and the other NT writers write so much about loving one another.

Imagine the disintegration of having...

• healthy and orthodox teaching without love.
• distributing food, clothing, and other benevolent outreach without love.
• evangelism without love.
• Christian citizenship without love.
• Elders or other leaders leading without love.
• Pastors without love.

Unfortunately, we don't have to imagine. 

The word and work of God belong with the way of God--LOVE! We are not called to be clever, impressive, or successful. We are called to something far more difficult. 

We are called to love.

Increasing.

Abounding.