Love is not an off-shoot of the Christian life; an accidental by-product of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Rather, it stands as the center of our whole purpose and being. Of all the things to be applauded for, the Thessalonians find themselves to have gotten the major parts right: they need no instruction about brotherly love. Yet, Paul is not out of words to say to them, as he will press them to excel in their love for one another, so that Christ might be preached more effectively to the outside world. Let us consider our own love before the world today, as we hear Paul’s helpful admonition to the Thessalonians.
