Memorise: And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity. 1st Corinthians 13:13
Read: Romans 12:9-10 (KJV)
12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Bible in one year:
Exodus 37-38,
Romans 13:8-14:12,
Hymnal:
Sing hymn 15
Message:
In conclusion of our series on what is expected of you now that you are saved, today we shall be reflecting on brotherly kindness and charity as key ingredients of the Christian life (2nd Peter 1:7). What is brotherly kindness?
Brotherly kindness is benevolence that springs forth from the heart of a Christian, whose nature has been translated from the darkness of sin and is now conformed to the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. Brotherly kindness is sincere and does not attach any satanic strings to its gesture. This is the type of kindness our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated when He was here on earth. It was brotherly kindness that made Him teach the word of God to people who were without purpose in life and feed them with bread when He was done teaching (Mark 6:34-37). This type of kindness made him acquit the woman caught in the sin of adultery (John 8:1-11). Not only did He acquit her, He also liberated her from the hold of sin by declaring over her life: “Go and sin no more.”
Similarly to brotherly kindness is charity. Charity is love: God’s type of love. It is pure, untainted and without ulterior motives. This love is void of partiality. Here is how the Holy Spirit describes it in 1st Corinthians 13:4-7:
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Considering this special type of love, one would agree that it is indeed the greatest of all ingredients required to build the Christian life. There is one aspect of charity that is worthy of note in 1st Corinthians 13:4, which is that it “rejoiceth not in iniquity”. Many misinterpret charity as being tolerant of sin. It should not be so. Believers, especially those put in charge of the flock of the Great Shepherd, should not mistake discipline for wickedness. As a matter of fact, disciplining a member of the flock who errs is a demonstration of God’s love. This is the type of love God demonstrated to Adam and Eve by sending them out of the Garden of Eden so that their redemption and that of their descendants would not become impossible (Genesis 3:22-24). Mankind would have lived for ever without the remedy of salvation but for God proactively blocking them from eating from the tree of life, which would have perpetuated their state under the curse of sin eventually. I pray that you will not find yourself in an environment where you will not be corrected in the name of love.
Prayer Point
Reflect on all we have discuss in the past four days and work on every area where you do not yet measure up to the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical Church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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