Biblical Building Block #2 - Be Kindly Affectioned One to Another (Romans 12:10)

Today’s devotion is an excerpt from a Bible Study Series taught at Fellowship Baptist Church, titled “Biblical Building Blocks for Strengthening Relationships.”
 
Biblical Building Block #2 - Be Kindly Affectioned One to Another (Romans 12:10)
 
Romans 12:10, Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
 
Romans 12:10, expresses the affection between the saints and the healthy relationship between believers. Believers are to love each other in a family way. Loving the saved is proof of salvation. I John 3:14, We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. Loving the brethren also tells the world that we are Jesus' follower. Jesus stressed the importance of brotherly love. John 13:34-35, A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. In this way, people who do not know Christ will notice & be drawn to His love, which they see reflected in us. Brotherly love is one of the traits by which the world will know that we are Christians.  I John 5:1, Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
 
Paul is saying that we should love one another as if we were related. Christians are members of one family. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. We are a family of children who have actually been adopted by God as His sons & daughters (II Corinthians 6:17-18; Galatians 4:4-6; Romans 8:16-17). This is dealing with the Christian family, the brothers and sisters within the church. The words "kindly affectioned" means the love existing between family members; indicating a family love for one another. The believer is to love by loving the brethren in Christ, by being kind & affectionate toward them. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to treat each other as brothers and sisters in the family of God. We are to love because we are brethren. We are to have a love for all brethren, regardless of their status (race, age, gender, social status). I Thessalonians 4:9, But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. In our interactions with the brethren, we have a responsibility to show brotherly love. I Peter 2:22, Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
 
One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers. That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper and listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. “Really?” she heard whispered. “I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!” and, “I didn’t know others liked me so much,” were most of the comments. No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn’t matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on. Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last do so. As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. “Were you Mark’s math teacher?” he asked. She nodded: “Yes.” Then he said: “Mark talked about you a lot.” After the funeral, most of Mark’s former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark’s mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher. “We want to show you something,” his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. “They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.” Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark’s classmates had said about him. “Thank you so much for doing that,” Mark’s mother said. “As you can see, Mark treasured it.” All of Mark’s former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, “I still have my list. It’s in the top drawer of my desk at home.” Chuck’s wife said, “Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.” “I have mine too,” Marilyn said. “It’s in my diary.” Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. “I carry this with me at all times,” Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: “I think we all saved our lists.” That’s when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again. Tell those you love why you appreciate them while you can.
 
PRAYER: Lord, thank you for the friends You have put in my life. I am richly blessed to have such loving, faithful, and true relationships. When I consider others who live such lonely lives, I must express my appreciation to You for precious people in my life. Lord, I also ask You to please help me see those who need to be loved so I can include them as a part of my life. I want to give to others the love and support that I have received. In Jesus Name, AMEN!
 
Thank you for reading Biblical Building Block #2 of this series. Please visit this website tomorrow for Biblical Building Block #3.
 
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