Tag: brotherly

Walking Worthy

Carl Pollard

In Ephesians 4:2, the Apostle Paul urges Christians: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” This verse comes as Paul transitions from the profound doctrines of God’s grace in chapters 1–3 to practical living. Having been called into one body through Christ’s redemptive work (Ephesians 4:1), we are to “walk worthy” of that calling. These four virtues, humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance in love, form the foundation for preserving “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).

Humility means having a low estimation of oneself, not out of self-loathing, but from recognizing our utter dependence on God’s grace. It is the opposite of pride, which destroys relationships. Jesus exemplified this perfectly, saying, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29). Philippians 2:5–8 calls us to have the same mindset as Christ, who emptied Himself and took the form of a servant. Without humility, we cannot serve one another or maintain unity.

Gentleness, often translated as meekness, is strength under control. Aristotle described it as the balance between excessive anger and passivity. It is not weakness but controlled power, as seen in Jesus driving out the money changers yet never sinning in anger. Galatians 5:23 lists gentleness as fruit of the Spirit. In a divided church, gentleness defuses conflict and reflects Christ’s character.

Patience. or longsuffering, means being “slow to anger.” It mirrors God’s character: “The Lord is… patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish” (2 Peter 3:9). Love “is patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4). In relationships, patience endures irritations without retaliation, remembering how much God has patiently borne with us.

Finally, we are to “bear with one another in love.” This means making allowances for others’ faults, forgiving as God forgave us (Colossians 3:13). Agape love motivates this forbearance, seeking others’ good even when it costs us.

These virtues are not optional suggestions but commands for every follower of Christ. In a world defined by division, pride, and impatience, the church must shine as a countercultural community. Imagine families, workplaces, and congregations transformed by this grace. But we cannot manufacture these traits in our strength; they flow from the Spirit as we abide in Christ (Galatians 5:22–23).

So, examine your heart: Where do pride or impatience hinder unity? Repent and yield to God. Walk in humility, gentleness, patience, and love, for in doing so, you glorify the One who first loved us and display the beauty of His calling to a watching world!

Love For God

Carl Pollard

When Jesus was asked about the most important commandment of all, He quoted the Shema. In Hebrew, “Hear o Israel,” is “Sh’ma Yes’ra’eil.” This wasn’t anything new, but was an essential verse. It is the first a Jewish child will memorize. The question of the most important commandment had long been settled among God’s people, “Love the Lord God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and might.” And all of Israel knew that truth since God was clear on this to begin with. Knowing the truth was the easy part. Acting on it was another story. 

Jesus fulfilled this command perfectly. He loved God completely. He depended on God through prayer, knowing the Scriptures, and submitting to God’s will even at the cost of His life. What does it take to love God completely? In Mark 10:17-22, another man approached Jesus, desperately wanting to please God. He runs up, falls on his knees before Jesus, and asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answers with, “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

The man said he had kept them all. Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 

This man couldn’t do it. He left, overwhelmed with emotion. Turns out he was very rich. What was the problem? This man loved his wealth too much to give it all away, and until he was willing to make that sacrifice he could not have the one thing he lacked: Jesus. 

Once we realize who Jesus is and what He offers us, there is nothing we wouldn’t give to have Him. Jesus loved the “rich young ruler,” but the man who came to him couldn’t part with the things he loved. That’s exactly how it is today, a Savior who loves us, but we can’t seem to love Him enough to sacrifice. When people see this kind of sacrificial love for God, they never forget it. Those who love God with their entire being leave a legacy that isn’t quickly forgotten. 

There are many to this day we can all think of who left a powerful legacy because of their love for God. The Plague of Cyprian came along a couple centuries after the time of Jesus. One document says that in Rome, where a million people lived, as many as 5,000 died per day. This plague terrified people. It was so devastating that when the first symptoms appeared some villages simply emptied out, leaving the sick behind. There was no cure. There was no hope. So they left sick family members in their beds and ran for their lives. But Christians didn’t run. They stayed and brought water to the sick. They fed them. They changed their bandages. They loved and encouraged them. And they even got sick in the process.

There’s no telling how many people came to Christ because Christians served, and there’s no telling how many Christians lost their lives because they stayed behind. People were stunned at the love these Christians showed to the sick. This is why the Roman Empire changed so dramatically. 

They couldn’t ignore the actions of people who loved God so much that they would be willing to give up their lives. And in the same way, when we sacrifice on behalf of others, they will see our love. The church that sacrificially loves and cares for its community will discover that it holds more power than any person or group in power. 

There’s no single action that defines a person who loves God completely, but fulfilling the royal law will always speak volumes of our love for God.

Growing In Love For One Another

Gary Pollard

Colossians 3.8ff is about how our relationships should work when we grow our love for each other. Wives who grow in love voluntarily submit themselves to their husbands (18). Husbands who grow in love show that love and gentleness to their wives (19). Children who grow in love do what their parents ask them to do (20). Fathers who grow in love don’t intentionally irritate their children (21). Paul follows this one up with, “If you are too hard on them, they might give up.” 

Servants who grow in love will do whatever their masters ask them to do, even when they aren’t looking (22). This is analogous to the employer-employee relationship today. If we’re growing in our love for God, we’ll be the best employees we can possibly be. Not to get ahead in the company, but because we fear God (22-23). Bosses and managers who grow in love will treat their employees fairly and generously (4.1). Paul follows this one up by reminding them that they have a master, too — Jesus. 

The letter ends with a few commands — never stop praying. Be ready for anything by praying and being grateful. Be conscious about behavior when we’re around non-believers. We should be kind and wise, especially around those non-believers. The very last phrase in this letter is “may God’s grace be with you.” 

The Post That Used “Love” 25 Times

Tuesday’s Column: Dale Mail

blond man with goatee smiling at camera with blazer on
Dale Pollard

Jesus loves us and that truth is found all through the Bible. The Bible teaches us to love others like Jesus loves us, but that’s only helpful if we understand the implications. 

“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love.” 

I John 4.16 

Piecing Together Bible Principles 

  1. Unnatural? This love calls us to live in a way that’s completely unnatural since it involves living through the eyes of everybody else. It’s the proper placement of “self” on the bottom shelf (John 3.30). 
  2. Rejection? In some circumstances, this love may demand the rejection of warm and friendly feelings for the call to act in a Christ-like sacrificial way. That love can prove to be a painful practice at first, but those pleasant feelings of gratitude and joy come when we learn to appreciate what He did first. Our selfless Savior was unbiased in His death for all mankind and that’s difficult to imagine. 
  3. Discipline? Love means discipline. When it comes to our personal dedication to the practice of that love, we must be disciplined. When God disciplines us, He means to refine so that we can enjoy a more intimate relationship with Him. 

Love Looks Like This 

If we wish to love like God we must put others before ourselves. We must call out sin. We must speak boldly in the defense of Him. Love means proclaiming to the lost the message about the God who made Heaven and Hell. 

Putting The Summary On Simmer 

To love Jesus and to love like Jesus are two connected ideas.

“But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”  I John 4.8 

You can’t say you love Jesus if you don’t love like He does. You can like Him, and He’ll still love you— but only loving Jesus leads to life after death. 

P.S. 

Loving someone occasionally means begging them not to make poor decisions, but allowing them to do so. If and when the pleas are ignored, it pains us to see those we love hurt themselves. 

P.S.S 

The ability to understand and experience emotions of such complexity must be part of our godly imaging. That’s something which is ingrained within all of us. 

How Deep Is The Father’s Love?

Thursday’s Column: Learning From Lehman

Kason Eubanks

There is a story about a father building his daughter a wheelchair from the ground up after she got paralyzed in a car crash. Her father was willing to do all the research and put all the time in to building a wheelchair for his daughter who he loved so much. I don’t think I would trust my dad to make me a wheelchair, but this father demonstrates the love he has for his daughter and the lengths he would go to to keep her safe. We are told in multiple different ways how deep the Father’s love is. As the song goes, “Why should I gain from His reward I cannot give an answer.” I want to share just three points with you tonight why we gained from his reward.

The first one is that His love is so deep that He created us. Genesis 1:27 says that God created man in His image. Since we are made in God’s image, we are His special creation. In return for Him to love us so much we need to love Him and obey Him.

Then when we messed up God loved us so much that He gave His only Son for our sins (John 3:16). He was willing to do anything for us as His children. I know this is a point that is used a lot. Would you give your son? Not just your son, but your only son. Now I don’t have children but I’m sure that if I did that I would not be willing to do that. If you go on to verse 17 it says that He did it so that we might be saved. If we do what is commanded here on earth we will have an eternal home.

The third point we gained from his reward was because he loved us so much that He wanted us to have an eternal home with Him. Go back to John 3:16. It says that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Now going back to the example I gave just a moment ago. I don’t think I will ever love anyone enough to give my son. Now let’s back up for a minute and ask ourselves why do we not love each other that much? We are all God’s creation so we should love others like God tells us.

Thinking back to my childhood when my dad would get mad at me I failed to realize that he loved me enough to help me do right. God loves me enough to give me the opportunity to stand up here and give this devo. And God loves everyone of us enough to give His only Son for our foolishness.
And now our job is to love Him so much to obey his laws.