Paul uses some “not so manly”
words to describe the love we should have for brothers and sisters in Christ. He says, in Romans 12:10 to “love one another
with brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor”.For me, it is always weird when a
guy tells me he loves me (being a guy myself, in case you were not aware of
that reading this). Maybe I am just
weak, but it is hard to swallow when I hear those words and I typically stumble
back with an awkward response like, “yeah, ok, whatev, wuv ya too”.
Yet, God’s word is littered with
this 4 letter command. This type of love
that Paul is referring to in Romans 12:10 is a love that bonds or knits to
souls together, much like that of Jonathan and David in 1 Samuel 18.
How do we love each other with
brotherly affection? Paul explains right
behind the comma in verse 10, “outdo one another in showing honor”.
The key is to honor each other,
or as Philippians 2:3 says, “consider others more significant than yourself”. Your
view on people, be a high view of respect or a low view of disrespect will
determine value of your honor. If you
have much respect for an individual, you will honor them highly and the
opposite is also true if you have little respect for them.
Listen to the sermon titled, “Brotherhood”
to learn more about loving each other with brotherly affection (http://www.midtownchurchfl.org/brotherhood-mtc153/)
As you listen, pray that the Lord will reveal to you that which is keeping you
distant from the brotherhood in Christ, be it pride, wounds from other
Christians in the past, or some reconciliation that needs to take place.
There is a love that can bind a
church together as if we were true brothers, and that love is nearly
inseparable, let us aim to love each other in this way.
