Spiritual Strength For Each Day
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6-7).
With the increase of the hope of faith, something else also increases in us: His love. This is very often lacking in us. By coming nearer to the Lord, however, this most worthy goal will also manifest itself. The love of Jesus in you is one of the clearest signs of whether you are inwardly hastening toward the Lord, whether the actual nature of the Lord is taking on contours in you, or not. The love of God in the heart of a Christian expects nothing from others, but gives continually, just as the Lord Jesus gave Himself out of pure love. What did Paul pray in his unfortunate plight in the Roman prison? Did he pray that he would soon be liberated? No, he prayed, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment” (Philippians 1:9).
This was his primary desire, which he often spoken of. It is a very important point of utmost urgency, for in our day love is decreasing instead of increasing. The same Paul also challenged us, “Above all these things put on charity [love], which is the bond of perfectness” (Colossians 3:14).
