Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For [here is the reason] you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:22-23 (NIV)
One of the first evidences of new life is that you feel an affinity with others who’ve been born again by the mercy of God: “You have sincere love for your brothers.”
Holiness is a community project. You cannot be holy on a desert island, because love is the heart of holiness.
There is a story about an American couple, Sheldon and Davy Vanauken, who met with C. S. Lewis in England for lunch. They talked about what it would be like to awaken after death and they all agreed that it would be a sort of homecoming. Unbeknownst to any of them, Davy Vanauken died shortly afterwards, and later C. S. Lewis lost his wife, Joy, to cancer.
After lunch Lewis expressed his hope that the Vanaukens would come to England again. He went on to say, “I shall not say goodbye. We will meet again here or there.” Then Lewis added, “Besides, Christians NEVER say goodbye!”
We are all here today and gone tomorrow. But the life God has given you will never die. The relationships you have in Christ are very special because they will last for eternity. So let’s learn how to love one another now.
What is one way you need to grow in loving other Christians?
