Bible Passage: “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12 NIV)
Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13
There are some passages, some ideas in Scripture that seem targeted at the implicit self-understanding of men. In the West, it’s popular and common to want to see yourself as a “self-made man.” You’ve done it all, by yourself, for yourself. No silver spoon. No trust fund. What you have is yours by virtue of your hard work. Sweat equity and elbow grease paid for all your accomplishments.
And, since we think of ourselves that way, we tend to want other men to be self-made, too.
Why is that a problem?
First, because it’s rarely true, at least in the sense that we like to tell the story. Second, Scripture tells us that we look after each other. In a world where we live out the truth of the Gospel, there’s no opportunity for someone to be a self-made man (I’m tempted to end this devotional there and just let that sit).
Paul encourages the Thessalonians to love, and not just a little: “increase and overflow for each other and everyone else.” That’s a lot of love for a lot of people.
Of course, this isn’t an encouragement to think well of each other, to have warm and fuzzy feelings for more and more people (although that would certainly help in actually living this out). This is the kind of love that tells us to take care of one another. To see the needs and do what we can to meet them.
We are the Good Samaritans everywhere, all the time, to everyone. Remember, when Jesus told that parable, he didn’t actually answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Instead, he ended the story with the question, “Who acted like a neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-37).
That’s exactly what Paul is saying here. Not, “Who around you needs to be loved?”, but “Who around you are you loving?” To make matters more complicated, the word for “love” that Paul uses is agape. The same Greek word used in Scripture for the way God loves us.
When our love abounds, we take care of each other. We look for the good for others. We don’t allow someone to be self-made.
Prayer: God, I know how I like to think of myself. But I know that people have taken care of me. Help me not only to accept the love others offer, but also to extend that same love by helping meet their needs. Amen
Reflection: What holds you back from lending a helping hand to those around you? Look around and see who you can love today.
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