Ways to love one another...

— Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Some practical ways that we can love one another

1. COMFORT THE HURTING.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted … to comfort all who mourn. —

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· Reminding them:

They are not alone in the suffering ().

· Hurting brings blessings ().

Hurting brings blessings ().

· That their loss is remembered. When we walk with people through their loss, we tell them that not only are they remembered, what or who they have lost is remembered too. The past, no matter how painful, is part of our story.

That their loss is remembered. When we walk with people through their loss, we tell them that not only are they remembered, what or who they have lost is remembered too. The past, no matter how painful, is part of our story.

2. ASSIST THOSE IN NEED.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted…

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· FOOD, we have a way to find out about fires, families burglarized, etc. I can imagine: The five of us coming home from church to find our home ransacked. We would traumatically inventory our losses to the police officer. An hour later and our three children that much hungrier, all we would probably be able to do is sit and hold each other. Until a family from our church could bring us a warm meal. A meal says, “You are cared about and God is here.”

· FINANCES “I can’t pay the rent,” she said. “I’m trying to get some money, but I don’t know where it will come from.” Probably all of us have been recipients of a helping hand with money. — But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

· FELLOWSHIP There’s a big difference between knowing people and having fellowship. The word in the Bible for fellowship is koinonia. It means being part of a community in which we love and share our lives together.

To be in fellowship means we have a place of support and we are encouraged to give to each other. When we have this kind of fellowship, there is place for all our needs to be met—spiritual, emotional, and material. God made us for fellowship.

So as we think about loving others and becoming outward focused on loving God, next week let’s take some time and discuss some practical things we did during the week to encourage ourselves as the body of Christ.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.