Ephesians 4:2-3: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
The word “love” is often misused to describe something special or unique, something we would really like to have, see, hear, be part of or do. I know I’ve used love many times to describe how much I enjoy the Christmas season.
But the love referred to by Paul in this Scripture passage has a much more significant and deeper meaning as it refers to love as a unifying bond through humility, gentleness, patience and acceptance of one another.
Christmas is my favourite time of year as I have the privilege of spending time with family and celebrating how good God has been. As we celebrate another season of Advent, as we are again reminded of our Father’s great love for us and how He introduced His Son Jesus into the world in such a humble way, are we listening for His voice and how we could tangibly demonstrate His love to each other and to those around us?
How can we “diligently keep the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us?”
Randy Voss
Pray
- Pray for those who are serving the less fortunate in our city.
- Pray for those who are lonely this holiday season.
- Pray for those who will be working over the holidays - police, firefighters, paramedics, hospital and nursing home staff, etc.
- Pray for refugees, immigrants and other travellers who will be far from home at Christmas.