My husband and I were talking the other day about how interesting it is that non-believers show genuine care and concern for others. For example, a coworker of mine at a local fast food spot, who is a non-believer, has texted multiple times to check on me, and several of my other coworkers there consistently ask about my marriage, my dog, my health issues, and more. Overall, these people I work with make me feel cared for and noticed on a daily basis, despite their lack of faith, and they ironically often share more of themselves with me than many of the believers I associate with.
As Christians, I think we sometimes allow caring for one another and loving one another to become just another task—another item on our Christian checklist to complete for the day. I think we easily take one another for granted. I know I’m guilty of it. We take for granted the true love and fellowship we have with one another and allow the enemy to create small fissures between us. These fissures become breeding grounds for bitterness, judgment, fear, and hurt.
But this is not the kind of love we are called to:
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:22-25, 29 & 5:1, 18-20
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
1 Corinthians 1:10
Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.
Philippians 2:2-3
If even non-believers can display care for one another, our love, as followers of the One who loves perfectly, ought to not only be visible but also overflow and amaze those who witness it. We are called to seek PERFECT unity—that is the standard and Jesus’ ultimate purpose (to bring unity to all things).
He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
Ephesians 1:9-10
So remember today, although we live in this world just as non-believers do, the love we are called to is a higher love—a perfect love that reflects the perfect love of Christ. Therefore, we must aim for our love to be extravagant and for our relationships to be unified unlike anything else the world has ever seen before.
Christians, we have to fight to maintain our love and to maintain our unity.
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5