Edifying Series

Love edifies, it builds up the object of it's affection. It never pulls down, never talks down on the one it loves.

Love sees the good, pulls it out, promotes and amplifies the good not the bad, and makes the good even better.

Love enables us to rise up as an edifice built to last forever. Love looks for positive ways to encourage the object of it's affection. Loves is not blind; actually it sees all the wrongs and faults, but makes a choice not to dwell on them.

Love sees the best you can be and spurs you on to become the best you can be. It doesn't judge or hold you down because of your past mistakes, but is always willing to give you opportunities to become better.

Think about it, scriptures tells us that man's heart is full of evil and desperately wicked. Yet God, who searches the heart and knows that man's thoughts all the days of his life is evil; made a deliberate decision to look beyond that, look beyond the offence and see the reality that man is to become, the righteous of God in Christ, the possessor of the God life and one to spread the fragrance of his Love.

The psalmist asked a question, "what is man, that you are mindful of him? Then He tells us, "fearfully and wonderfully he has made him". Again he says, glorious things are spoken of you, o city of God". Isaiah writes, "The ear has not had news of, or the eye seen, ... any God but you, working for the man who is waiting for him." The same scripture Paul, quoted declaring, "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him". "For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Psalm 87:3; 139:14; Isa 64:4, 1 Cor 2:9, Jer 29:11.

Now if God has all this beautiful things to say about man, targeted towards building us up in faith. Then we owe it to one another to do same.

Hence, Paul admonished, "Let brotherly love continue." "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another." "And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds."

"So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. Heb 13:1, Rom 12:10, Heb 10:24, 1 Thess 5:11

Finally, "Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone."

"speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord," Col 4:6, Eph 5:19

God, in Christ manifested his love toward us in this way. He was not counting our offenses against us, but chose to rescue us and make us better in Christ.