The end of all things is near. Let love guide all that you do.
What a sobering reminder this statement is that our time on this earth is brief.
“Man is like a mere breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.”Psalm 144:4 (ESV)
“A person’s life is like grass.
Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
but when the hot wind blows, it disappears,
and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.”Psalm 103:15-16
A breath.
A passing shadow.
A fading flower.
This morning at church tears filled my eyes as a friend and I talked about Ukraine. The battle lines have not moved in almost a year, and at times it can look like a frozen conflict. The loss of life is great, thousands have died every month. This week we got news of the passing of a friend of a friend who was a Commander in the Ukrainian army and a believer. After suffering massive injuries on the battlefield, his body was not able to recover, and he passed into glory. Just last week, we also received news that a young dad of five, a fellow missionary and pastor passed away. Life is fleeting.
In light of this truth, Peter is calling us to live a life of love and to let love guide us in all that we do. Through this love, we can pray, love one another deeply, offer hospitality without grumbling, serve one another, and speak graciously towards one another.
These are the things that set us apart as children of the living God.
There was a time, about 12 years ago, when my heart was wounded by other believers, and it was hard to want to live out these truths. Because of this hurt, I did not want to offer hospitality. I wanted to be selfish, focus on my own pain, and live my own life. When we asked some wise mentors who were staying with us for advice in the situation, they responded in wisdom and kindness. They said, “We think that the Lord would always want us to offer hospitality to others. It doesn’t negate your hurt, but we think you should offer to host this couple in your home for the night.” They helped us write a letter to the people who had hurt our feelings. By God’s grace, the hurts were resolved, and we spent a lovely evening with our guests from Estonia.
Fast forward 12 years. The young dad that passed away last week was the same one that spent the night in our apartment 12 years ago with his wife, after a marriage conference. How thankful I am for the wise and godly advice we received. God alone knows the number of days written in our book. This man stewarded his days well to encourage believers and bring glory to God.
The way that we serve one another in love has eternal impact. It is ultimately meant to bring God glory and praise to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Loving and serving others isn’t always easy. It comes with a cost. It is a choice to honour and serve the family of believers and those who do not yet know Jesus with the strength that God supplies. Who can you love and serve today? When life is hard, will you choose to let love guide your actions and serve in the strength that God provides?
