Mitchell County

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” – Galatians 5:14-15

Last month, we looked at what the mark of a true disciple was: love. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says that men will know that we are His disciples if we love one another. In carrying on with that thought of loving one another, Paul informs the Galatians that all the law is fulfilled in that one word—love.

We are to be a loving people who love in deed and truth (1 John 3:18). Love in action is what Jesus, John, and Paul are telling the church to do. Everything that needs to be accomplished can only be accomplished by showing Christ’s love to those around us.

Paul then goes on to say that if we are not careful, we can bite and devour each other, and if that goes unchecked, then the body will be totally consumed. The idea here is that the church can often be involved in talking about, running down, gossiping, and backbiting, and then nobody is standing in unity to accomplish the work and ministry God has called us to be doing. Eventually, there is no one left, and no work can be done.

This is a stark warning to us today. In a day of social media posts that many hide behind, secret emails, texts, and calls, we find ourselves being pitted against one another and not being what Christ died for us to be, which is one body. Christ even prays in John 17 for us to be one and to experience the glory He shares with us (John 17:22-23).

The Biblical model is to talk to and not about each other. Christian, who do you need to speak to today that you are not showing the proper love to? In a day where tools like social media, email, texts, and phone calls can be used to do evil, let’s use them for the good of God’s people!

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Rev. Nathan Silver is a Mitchell County native and is the Senior Pastor at Grassy Creek Baptist Church in Spruce Pine, NC. He is married to Jessica and they have two daughters Grace and Lida. He is passionate about his Savior and His Bride, the Church. Nathan loves spending time with his wife and daughters and being in the great outdoors. He loves preaching the Word of God and gathering with Saints in worshiping our Savior.

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