Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer for unity and love in your family is beautiful because it asks for exactly what God desires to give. Scripture teaches that love is from God, and everyone who loves in this deeper way is born of God and knows God, because God Himself is love. When His love is at work in us, it shows itself in how we love one another, and that love becomes the evidence that He is dwelling in us and we in Him.
What the Bible means by love here is not the fleeting physical attraction that the world often calls love, nor is it only the natural affection we have for family and close friends, which is real but is often reciprocal and depends on how we are treated. The love God pours into our hearts by His Spirit is different. It is a giving, selfless love. It seeks the good of the other person, it gives of itself, even as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as an offering to God. That is the love that can hold a family together when feelings fade or when hurts come.
That is why forgiveness in a family is measured by how God has forgiven us. We are called to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to love as Christ has loved us. That is a high calling, and we can only live it as we first receive His love. We love because He first loved us. His love for us is not caused by anything in us and it cannot be bought or earned, it simply flows to us as a gift, and it cannot be quenched. As we abide in that love and walk in it day by day, His love is made complete in us.
This is also how humility, patience and kindness grow. They are part of the fruit of the Spirit, not just efforts of our own will. God Himself is the God of patience and comfort, and He is long suffering and kind. When we walk in consideration for one another, not living just to please ourselves, and when we bear with one another in love, unity is strengthened. Love suffers long and is kind, it believes the best and hopes the best, and it puts the interests of others before our own.
I will pray with you that the Lord will strengthen your faith and deepen your fellowship with Him, so that His love will be the bond that holds your family together. May you each be rooted in the knowledge of how much you are already loved in Christ, and may that love overflow in forgiveness, gentleness and patience toward one another, so that your home reflects His grace. In Jesus name, amen.
What the Bible means by love here is not the fleeting physical attraction that the world often calls love, nor is it only the natural affection we have for family and close friends, which is real but is often reciprocal and depends on how we are treated. The love God pours into our hearts by His Spirit is different. It is a giving, selfless love. It seeks the good of the other person, it gives of itself, even as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as an offering to God. That is the love that can hold a family together when feelings fade or when hurts come.
That is why forgiveness in a family is measured by how God has forgiven us. We are called to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to love as Christ has loved us. That is a high calling, and we can only live it as we first receive His love. We love because He first loved us. His love for us is not caused by anything in us and it cannot be bought or earned, it simply flows to us as a gift, and it cannot be quenched. As we abide in that love and walk in it day by day, His love is made complete in us.
This is also how humility, patience and kindness grow. They are part of the fruit of the Spirit, not just efforts of our own will. God Himself is the God of patience and comfort, and He is long suffering and kind. When we walk in consideration for one another, not living just to please ourselves, and when we bear with one another in love, unity is strengthened. Love suffers long and is kind, it believes the best and hopes the best, and it puts the interests of others before our own.
I will pray with you that the Lord will strengthen your faith and deepen your fellowship with Him, so that His love will be the bond that holds your family together. May you each be rooted in the knowledge of how much you are already loved in Christ, and may that love overflow in forgiveness, gentleness and patience toward one another, so that your home reflects His grace. In Jesus name, amen.
