If you think you’ve heard Sunday’s Scripture passage before, you have. Pastor Dave reminded us that the apostle John wrote frequently about loving one another in his gospel and letters. John is repeating himself! I appreciated Dave’s honest discussion of how we usually react when a speaker repeats himself: We assume he (or she) has a failing memory or poor communication skills, or we resent him as a nag. Before the Lord, ask: Is my reaction to the apostle John’s repetition similarly negative? Do I skip over or dismiss repetition in God’s book as useless and a waste of my time? If so, I am forgetting that everything in our Bible – including the repetition – is from God, through apostles, and confirmed by the church. I need to honestly confess that a worldly attitude has crept into my view of Scripture and humble myself before the Author.

Dave taught that the apostle John repeats the command to love one another because we need to hear it again. He’s right. I looked back in my notes to see when Dave preached on 1 John 2:7, a verse John practically quotes in this week’s passage, and found it was July 17 of this year. I am asking myself whether, three months later, I am any better at loving others. Has my life changed at all? Ask the Holy Spirit to examine you, even if it pinches.

“Love one another” is a command, not a suggestion or a good idea. It’s not optional for Christians. But in my flesh, it’s something I’m not really serious about doing and, even if it were, I can’t do it. It is impossible, in my own power, to love others well, not even those closest to me. How I need the gospel – the assurance that my failure does not condemn me! How I need God’s help to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh, so that I may obey Him. God, teach me what loving one another is and what it is not. Remind me of how Jesus loved. Open my ears to Your voice in the moment of opportunity to love someone and empower me to love as You would have me love. Help me make progress in loving others today and consistently in the coming months.

Thank God for the rain over the weekend! I live on the eastern edge of the city of Orange where the risk of wildfire is high this time of year, so I am especially thankful. The rain is a good reminder that there are some things that man, with all his scientific knowledge and technology, cannot do.

Lift up the Family Movie Night this Friday. Pray for good and godly fellowship in the body of Christ, and pray for unbelievers who will hear the brief message relating the themes of the movie to the gospel. Those unbelievers may be invited visitors, families from the neighborhood, or even our own kids who have not yet come to faith in Christ.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert

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