Love

  • Loving God by Loving Christ

    Matthew 10:37–39

    Adherents of other religions may do many good deeds in the name of God. They may even think that they are praying to Him when they beseech the Creator. But in doing all these things, they are really committing idolatry ...Read More

  • Wholehearted Love and Service

    Deuteronomy 10:12

    The Westminster Shorter Catechism tells us that man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Yet to glorify and enjoy Him, we must know Him as He is in His holiness, sovereignty, and love. We must ...Read More

  • Love for God and Neighbor

    Matthew 22:34–40

    Love of God and love of neighbor are connected. We cannot love God rightly if we do not love our neighbors, especially our fellow Christians, and we cannot love our neighbors rightly if we do not love God (1 John ...Read More

  • Paul’s Love for His Audience

    Philippians 2:17–18

    Our love for those who minister to us should be part of what motivates our obedience to the Lord. As we grow in holiness, we help to show our pastors, Sunday school teachers, and other church leaders that their labor ...Read More

  • The Christian’s Conflicting Desires

    Philippians 1:21–24

    One commentator has wondered what it would mean for the church if we really acted on the reality that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” What if we more consistently conducted ourselves as if true life meant ...Read More

  • Abounding Love

    Philippians 1:9–11

    Only by faith do we lay hold of Christ’s righteousness, which alone gets us into heaven. Yet we can also get additional rewards in heaven if we serve God faithfully. These rewards, however, are still grounded in faith because ...Read More

  • Paul’s Love for the Philippians

    Philippians 1:7–8

    In many ways, it is easier to pray or to give to various churches and ministries instead of doing both. How often do we pray for other believers and gospel defenders without responding to their need for financial support? How ...Read More

  • Loving One’s Self, Loving One’s Wife

    Ephesians 5:28–30

    Dr. John MacArthur writes, “A Christian husband is to care for his wife with the same devotion that he naturally manifests as he cares for himself (v. 29) — even more so, since his self-sacrificing love causes him to put her ...Read More

  • Loving One’s Wife

    Ephesians 5:25

    We may easily deceive ourselves and think that we are not obligated to fulfill our marital roles simply because our spouses are not fulfilling theirs. But God calls us to be faithful to our own callings, not those given to ...Read More

  • The Price of Love

    Ephesians 5:1-2

    Matthew 16:24–25 tells us that imitating God is a costly endeavor, one that requires daily self-denial and the narrow road of discipleship. If we think that there is no price to following the Savior, we are kidding ourselves ...Read More

  • A Call to Kindness

    Ephesians 4:32

    The steadfast love and kindness for other believers that make us eager to forgive them define the true Christian. “Whoever … hates his brother is still in the darkness,” as John tells us (1 John 2:9). Do you love your ...Read More

  • The Needfulness of Truth and Love

    Ephesians 4:15-16

    Are you conscious of the intimate way in which you are connected to all other believers? Your sins and holiness impact other Christians, for you share an inseparable link to them (Eph. 4:15–16). One of the key motivations ...Read More

  • One in Spirit

    Ephesians 4:2-3

    We cannot sacrifice truth for the sake of a superficial visible unity, which is an error evident in the liberal arm of the ecumenical movement. Still, we should not think that all efforts at visible church unity represent liberalism, for ...Read More

  • The Fullness of Christ’s Love

    Ephesians 3:17b-19

    If earthly families cannot be unified without the understanding and pursuit of love, how can we possibly think that true love for other believers is optional in the promotion of Christian unity? We are called to meditate on the depth ...Read More

  • The Riches of Redemption

    Ephesians 1:7

    John Chrysostom remarks, “It is astonishing that he gave the Beloved for those who hated him… . If even when we hated him and were enemies he gave the Beloved, what will he not do for us now?” (Ancient Christian Commentary ...Read More