Spiritual Effectuation ˇV ˇ§Loveˇ¨
Survey
Jesus Christ
once issued an important command to His disciples (the Church). He said, "A
new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love
one another." (John 13:34-35) If those who follow Christ carry out this instruction to love one another and
are filled with love just as He is, they will have fulfilled the Law of the Old
Testament and also produced excellent testimonies for God.
The manifestation of love among the members is by the
employment of action rather than mere lip service, and by careful attention to
many attitudes in life and co-existence rather than intangible vacuities. The
apostle Paul defined ˇ§loveˇ¨ by the following: ˇ§Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does
not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always
trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.ˇ¨ (1 Corinthians
13:4-8)
Although it
is hard to quantify ˇ§loveˇ¨, this writer hopes to use the following 15 queries based
on chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians to allow everyone to assess your level of love
for others. This ˇ§love surveyˇ¨ focuses on an examination of the relationship
between you and other members in the Lord. Please give yourself an honest grading from 1 to 10 (weakest
to strongest).
1.
I am
able to accommodate other membersˇ¦ misunderstanding or unjust verbal
accusations of myself. (Discipline to be patient)
2.
I am sensitive
to the needs of other members, and quick to satisfy those needs. (Discipline to
be kind)
3.
When
serving together, if a member displays better performance, I will offer
thanksgiving on his behalf. (Discipline to not envy)
4.
I will
not share just my own triumphs or innumerable insights from the Bible with
other members. (Discipline to not boast)
5.
I will
not consider just my own methods to be most proper, and demand that other
members totally accede. (Discipline to not be proud)
6.
I am
most concerned about the feelings of other members, and treat them
magnanimously with courtesy. (Discipline to not be rude)
7.
I
always put the well-being of other members above my own. (Discipline to not be
self-seeking)
8.
When I
am wronged by a member, I am able to control my emotions. (Discipline to not be
easily angered)
9.
I will
quickly forgive and forget the wrongs done to me by other members. (Discipline
to not keep records of wrongs)
10.
I will
not be glad for a member when he wins the 649 lottery. (Discipline not to
delight in evil)
11.
I will
not publicize the mistakes of other members. (Discipline to protect)
12.
I
trust the members I love, and can interact with them sincerely and honestly. (Discipline
to trust)
13.
I
strive to develop my relationships with other members every day. (Discipline to
hope)
14.
I will
not have the joy in my heart hijacked by hard-to-please members. (Discipline to
always persevere)
15.
I am
willing to apply myself totally to love other members in the Lord for the sake
of the Lord. (Discipline in love that never fails)
If you score between 0 and 50, you
must seek urgent improvement; between 51 and 100, you must seek more improvement;
between 101 and 150, you should continue to stand fast and grow in love.
By: Daniel To