Living Adverts - Part 3
30th April 2009
We've been thinking about the prayer:
Lord, make me a better advert for your kingdom
And we've being considering the idea that we become better adverts for God by growing the fruit of the Spirit, and sharing it around. We're looking particularly at the first three attributes of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy and peace:
Last week, we looked at joy. This week I want to think about love.
LOVE
The Greek word agape means "sacrificial love". Agape is God's love for us, and we cannot love others with this sort of love unless we choose to sacrifice our comfort and our preferences, for others. This means we give up our rights for the sake of their needs.
The opposite of love is selfishness.
When I try to get my own way, when I think about what I want and what I need, I'm not loving others. When I try to help others get what they need, then I'm being loving.
When I'm more interested in speaking than in listening, when I need to be the centre of attention, when I go into a conversation with a pre-set agenda and insist on talking about what I want to talk about, I'm being selfish.
When I go to hear what the other person is concerned about, and to help them work it out for themselves, then I'm being loving.
And when Christian people love each other, it is a great advert for God's kingdom:
John 13v34-35
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
And love causes us to join with our fellow Christians regularly, to encourage them, and to worship God, and to pray for those who don't yet know him.
It's selfish to only meet with the church when we feel like it, when we have nothing that's more fun to do.
And it's selfish to only help our neighbours when we're in the mood, rather than when they need it.
Lord, forgive me for being selfish and help me to make sacrifices for others
Next week: peace.