And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more
1 Thessalonians 4:10 NIV
The members of the church in Thessalonica loved each other. Paul commended them for their love. And their love was not limited to just their local community of believers. Their love had grown to include all of the believers throughout their area.
Growing in Love
But Paul encouraged them not to be content with the love that they had. Instead, they should love even more. And, when they had done that, to go even further in their love. I suspect many of us see love as an either-or. We either love or we don’t. And that makes this idea of loving more and more seem strange. But love is much more than just an emotional state of being. Love involves caring and sacrificially giving yourself to another (1 John 3:16). Love is reflected in the way we serve each other and put the needs of others ahead of our own.
Paul is telling us here not to be content with having a surface-level love for others within our local community of believers. Never stop growing in love for each other. Never reach the point where you are satisfied with the love you have for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
