Tuesday, 7th February 2023
Alex Buabeng-Korsah
TOPIC: GROW MORE AND MORE IN LOVE
THEME SCRIPTURE: Philippians 1:9
PREPARATORY QUESTIONS:
- What is love?
- Why must our love grow more and more?
It was Bertha von Suttner, the Austrian novelist and Nobel laureate, who said that the verb ‘to help’ is the second most beautiful verb in the world after the verb ‘to love’. Intimating that the most beautiful verb in the world is ‘to love’. However, you will agree that in our day, if you should mention the word ‘love’ it will make many people shudder. They will wonder what exactly you mean.
Apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Philippi, encouraged them to let their love grow and increase beyond measure, bringing them into the rich revelation of spiritual insight in all things. This sounds beautiful but do you think we ever going to be comfortable with the word ‘love’?
The reason many people shudder at hearing the word ‘love’ is that they have been exploited by that word. They were taken advantage of by people they thought loved them.
‘Exploitative love’ and ‘deceptive love’ has done a lot of damage to mankind. This love is selfish and ‘uses’ people rather than things. There are four kinds of love – parental love, friendship love, erotic love and unconditional love (agape). The first three are meaningless and impotent unless the agape love (unconditional love, God-kind of love) is central to them all. The agape love is not self-seeking, but rather it is gentle and consistently kind to all (irrespective of race, gender, economic status, etc.). It refuses to be jealous when blessings come to someone else. This love does not brag about achievements nor inflates its own importance. The God-kind of love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for all. This is the kind of love Apostle Paul wants you and me to grow more and more in. Is it possible to grow and increase in this love?
First, this God-kind of love (agape) is already in the believer who has received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5). Further, this love can grow or increase, when we do not only express it by mouth but also in action.
King David, being a man of love said, ‘is there yet any left of the house of Saul that I may show him the kindness of God (not for his own sake but) for Jonathan’s sake?’ (2 Sam 9:1). He went ahead to find Mephibosheth (who was a cripple) and gave him a new life in his palace. Precious One, the more we walk in kindness and the God-kind of love, the more we will see lives transformed. This is why growing in love and consistently enlarging in the exercise of it, is important if we are going to bring Christ’s transforming power to our world.
From today going forward, you are showing selfless love in your home, community and workplace. Broken lives, hurting people and the downtrodden are finding hope because of the fountain of God’s love flowing from you to them. His love is in you. Let it spring more and more in an increasing measure, bringing you into the rich revelation of spiritual insight in all things. Hallelujah!
FURTHER READING – 2 Samuel 9:1-10
QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU MEDITATE ON THE WORD:
- What are the obstacles that can hinder you from showing the love of God to all?
- Should we be bothered if those to who we show the kindness of God are ungrateful?
CONFESSION
I affirm this day that the endless love of God is cascaded into my heart by the Holy Ghost who dwells in me. As a result, love and kindness will be the motivation behind all that I do. I am touching lives and influencing them positively through the power of God’s love. Hallelujah!
1-Year Bible Reading Plan
Exodus 15; Psalm 69; Mark 3
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