Keep Calm and Love Everyone

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Last night we had a great connect group with the above verse as the theme. We have been dealing with Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World. 

So far we have been advised to Stay Calm and Love Everyone.

We seem more stressed than ever in nearly every part of our lives: physical, spiritual, financial, political. Chaos seems to reign. As Christians, we are moving from a majority to a minority position. We are no longer “loved” for who we are. We are marginalized and even hated. Don’t be shocked. Scripture predicts this time.

That doesn’t make it any less stressful and chaotic. Stress and chaos, however, are matters of perspective. There is always someone worse off than  you no matter how bad things seem.

Step one is not to panic. Stay calm. God is in control.

Step two in reducing pressure and stress is to find someone worse off than yourself. This takes your focus from yourself and makes you realize that  you really have things pretty good. That helps.

Step three is to love that person who is worse off than you. Even better love that person that is causing the stress and chaos in your life, your enemy. We can’t do this on our own or in the natural. We need the agape love of God. Remember the Dead Sea isn’t dead because of what’s in it. It’s dead because it has no channel for outflow. If we will love supernaturally, those who are, to us, unlovable, we will keep God’s love within us alive, fresh and powerful.

How do we love? Pray. Serve. Testify. Praying for someone helps change our hearts toward them. Serving them helps change their hearts toward us. Testifying helps change their hearts toward God.

Trust God. He’s in control and love your way out of the chaos and stress of life.

Be blessed.