Dave’s Monday Blast – April 17, 2023
Last week we ended our conversation with a word from Pastor Charles Stanley on Building Excellent Relationships. In 1 Thessalonians 4:9 – 10 we learn that we are to Love one Another, and indeed we are to EXCEL at it! What does it really mean to love one another and how do we excel at doing so?
In truth, we can only excel at loving one another if we do so with kindness and generosity. In Philippians 2:3 – 4 the Apostle Paul offers a two-pronged definition of humility. He says it is:
1. Considering one another as more important than yourselves.
2. Not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Humility enables us to make an honest personal assessment. Stanley comments: “We’re all sinners saved by grace. And having been made in God’s image, we don’t degrade or demean ourselves. Nor do we exalt ourselves above others or even exalt ourselves at all…knowing as James says, that when we’re humble in the presence of the Lord, He will exalt us (4:10), because of His great mercy and grace.”
He continues with these thoughts: “This leaves us with a paradox: To be excellent at loving others is to set aside our own greatness. It’s to acknowledge that the way up is actually down (Mark 10:41 – 45). Our primary aim in relationships is not to be loved; rather, the goal is to love humbly by confessing sin, setting aside our preferences, and elevating others. Humility means that as God’s children, we’re not self-seeking and self-centered. Rather, we acknowledge our absolute dependence upon the Lord. In other words, we don’t always expect to be up front and take credit, but instead are willing to do and to give and to be without recognition.”
Last week we referenced the truth of Psalm 139:14 as the writer declares we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that the Maker wants us to know what we are made for. Paul reminds us that we are all made to excel at loving one another. The why of that I believe is two-fold:
1. It is how we build EXCELLENT relationships.
2. It is living in obedience to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who simply explains in John 13:35 that humankind will know that we are His disciples if we have love for one another!
