Shortly before he died, a pastor told me that for most of his life he didn’t love the people he pastored. He felt his main calling was to teach them the Bible. Thankfully, the Lord taught him how to love others by opening his eyes to how incredibly loved he was by Christ.
With newfound joy, he spent the last years of his life forming small churches in homes where people could practice the “one another” commands of the Bible.
There are 59 specific New Testament commands on how believers are to love one another. These include praying for one another (James 5:16), serving one another (Galatians 5:13), encouraging one another (Hebrews 10:25), and bearing one another’s burdens. (Galatians 6:2).
It was no mistake that when God launched the church, He had them meet in homes. Yes, they also met regularly in the temple courts, but the “one anothers” were best lived out in small communities. There, they could get to know each other intimately and put into practice this wonderful love God had poured into them.
We have a weekly fellowship in our home, made up of neighbors, friends, and family. The “one anothers” happen naturally as we open our hearts to each other and let the Holy Spirit love through us. Our little home fellowship desires to live out the apostle Paul’s words:
“We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8
Sharing our lives and putting our love into action is what matters most to God. The pastor who thought teaching his flock was his main calling learned an important truth before he died.
“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2
Lord, help us grasp how wide, how high, and how deep Your love is for us—so we can love one another well!
“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Galatians 5:6
“Love one another as I have loved you.” John 13:34
Heartspills 
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