Is there a person in your life that you love to hang out with? Maybe it is a relative or an old classmate? Whoever it is your heart is overflowing with love when you see them. Did you know that is how God wants the church to be with each other? When we gather together or run into each other around town, there should be a feeling of overflowing love. Paul tells us that Jesus is capable of making our love increase and overflow for each other.
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
Love Knows No Bounds
Our hearts should never stop overflowing with love for others. There should be no boundaries when it comes to how much we can love and how many people that includes. It is essential that we don’t try to limit who we love. God is the one who increases our ability. We have to ask if we are open to it. If we are then our prayer should be for our love to grow. The church should be a group of people that welcome the lost and hurting in. We should be a place where everyone is loved and overflowing with love for each other.
Strengthened Hearts
God does a work in our hearts when we enter into a relationship with him. Not only should we be overflowing with love but our hearts should also be getting stronger in resisting sin. As we mature in our faith and the sanctification process grows in us, we should sin less and become more holy. Make sure not to turn this into a scorecard. It is a process entirely done by the Holy Spirit. Evidence of it happening is that we become more humble and loving. We know we are growing in our relationship with Jesus when we are overflowing with love and getting better at resisting sin.