Scripture

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring one another.

Observation

We are to love each other sincerely, not in pretence. We should seek to be affectionate in loving each other and in honouring one another,

We are to rejoice, be patient and generous. We should bless those who persecute us, rejoice with those who are happy and mourn with those who are sad.

We must not seek to take revenge, but to leave that to God’s righteous anger. We must not retaliate against evil, but instead conquer evil by doing good.

Application

Our culture is not good at expressing godly love- this is not surprising since many people do not know God. The attitude, by and large, is we support people when we agree with them or they are useful to us. When that situation changes, we move on and ignore them.

The Bible calls instead for a genuine love amongst christians. Paul tells us in the previous verse that we must really love one another and not just pretend to. Here he tells us to love each other with genuine affection.

So no pretend love, chummy expressions and fake laughter while waiting to put a knife in.

How do we get there?

Firstly we have to understand that we are not perfect or worthy of God’s favour. I am just as bad as anyone else apart from the grace of God. Being honest about my own sins and failures makes me more accepting of others.

Secondly, we need to pray for other people. This means not just confessing their sins for them or asking God to change them. It means honestly and sincerely asking God to bless them.

Thirdly, it means showing honour to each other. Find the good things that you can praise them for, both to themselves and to other people. Don’t be afraid to talk other people up, rather than pulling them down.

As we genuinely seek to build others up, we will find that God’s love abounds among us,

Prayer

Please help me, Lord, to love others, both the christians and the not- yet christians. Help me to put them above myself and to honour them from my heart. Amen.