You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. -1 Peter 1:22
You may have noticed that we have been studying the H.E.A.R.T. Principles through a sermon series in worship over the past few weeks. The H.E.A.R.T. Principles are the five unspoken requests we all make in relationships.
We are a little more than halfway through these five principles now, and we will finish them up in the next two weeks. While they are interesting to learn about, our hope is that we can do more than just learn about these unspoken requests. Our hope is that we will cooperate with God’s Spirit during this series and throughout the rest of this year so that we can grow to relate to one another in healthier and more Christlike ways.
The verse above from 1 Peter 1:22 reminds us of the important call that God has given us as His children. We are called to embrace one another as brothers and sisters in Christ and to love one another deeply—even when we disagree. This is radically countercultural. It is also one of the biggest ways that we can be the salt and the light on this earth, providing a refreshing picture of God’s love and God’s Kingdom to the world around us. We cannot do this by just learning about the H.E.A.R.T. Principles. We also must be intentional to practice these in our homes, our friendships, our workplaces, and right here at Bethany. I invite you to consider the following questions as a way to practicing these principles in your own life today:
Which of these principles is most difficult for you? What is one way you can practice this principle with someone today?
Who has God placed in your life who is difficult to get along with, that you need to show love to in a more tangible way?
What step can you take this week to practice these principles in that relationship?
In Christ,
Thomas Johnson
