Love one another
Judges 21, “2 So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and lifted up their voices and wept bitterly . 3 They said, “Why, O LORD, God of Israel, has this come about in Israel, so that one tribe should be missing today in Israel ?”
The tribes of Israel were really distraught that they had lost one of their own; after the tribe of Benjamin had caused the internal strife, and had been for all practical purposes removed from the roll of Israel the other tribes were greatly concerned. The Benjamites were part of their family, and they knew that without their entire family they could not function properly. The Bible states that they wept out loud, and cried before God because of their missing brothers and sisters.
I wonder how many times we, as Christians, weep and go before the Lord when a church member stops coming to church. To be totally transparent I have to admit that I don’t; in the years that I’ve been involved in church I have had some good friends who left the church, but to be completely I can’t remember ever shedding a tear. I may have said a few prayers for them, but the image I get when I read “wept bitterly” is the same as when the Bible talks about someone tearing their clothes or sitting in ashes. The people of Israel were devastated when Benjamin fell away.
I believe that this an example of how we should react to the loss of a church member. We should not just casually dismiss it, but we should cry before God and seek His guidance. It should not and cannot affect or hinder our service to God, but we should be “torn up” by the loss.
Jesus said in John 13, 34″A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.35″By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Loving one another is a command of God, and we should love in the same way that Jesus loves us! The loss of a brother or sister should be devastating to use, and we should seek God on how we can bring that person back into the fold. It is our love for each other that will prove that we belong to Him.
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Father God, I thank You for proving Your love to me by the sacrifice of Your Son, and I ask that You would help me to show Your love to everyone You place in my path. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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The image above can be found at:http://www.blingcheese.com/image/code/43/brotherly+love.htm
Yes, You Can Ministry 