“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” – 1 Peter 4:8

How’s your love for other Christians??? Is it earnest and fervent or vague and generic? Does it have a face? Is it deep and enduring or shallow and transactional? Is it strong enough to forgive mistakes, insults, and minor offenses? Is it a priority for you to know and love other believers?

Peter says we are to keep loving one another “above all”. Sadly, many Christians live in a kind of isolation from other Christians that makes it impossible to do this thing that’s supposed to be “above all”. So, do you have close friends from your church community? Do you have deep, rich, healthy relationships with other Christians?

If not, what are you going to do to begin cultivating this love which is supposed to be “above all”? You can’t form these kinds of relationships in one hour a week of a gathered worship service. You can’t do it worshiping in isolation. You need to join or create a group of believers committed to growing and living together. This will seldom happen by accident – you must be intentional. You need to love and be loved by others who love Jesus. It’s a vital part of thriving in Jesus Christ. So make a plan, if necessary, and #FollowJesus into real Christian care and community.

“As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him.” – Titus 3:10

This is a really stark reminder of how important unity is to God! The Bible repeatedly praises the importance and value of unity while condemning those who divide families, friends, and congregations. Jesus prays for unity. We’re told to fight for unity. Unfortunately, some people seem to thrive on division. There are people who try to promote and use division for their own personal benefit.

A Christian can’t be such a person. We must not be. In fact, such a person doesn’t belong in our churches if they won’t repent of their sinful ways! The Gospel will naturally divide those who believe from those who don’t, however, believers must not be causing division amongst themselves. It’s a sin that must be addressed and resolved, one way or the other. For yourself, always remember how much Jesus wants His churches and families to be unified. Strive for unity. Where you see division, be a peacemaker. Don’t contribute to the division, don’t pass along gossip about possible division, don’t take sides other than the side of Jesus. Make peace.

Every Christian has the Holy Spirit within them. Every Christian is commanded and empowered to make peace, resolve conflicts, and heal division through the power of the Gospel. Every Christian can make a difference in bringing people together. It’s too easy in our culture today to jump on the train of dividing over trivial matters. Resist that temptation and all its pressures. Let us all work together to make the church of Jesus Christ spotless and unified. #FollowJesus

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” – 1 Timothy 4:12

If you ever find yourself in a situation in which people are making you feel “less than”, remember these words. Timothy was young to be a pastor/teacher/leader. In that culture, some would be quick to dismiss him, ignore him, trivialize him, and make him feel “less than” simply because of his age. Paul’s advice isn’t for Timothy to loudly demand the people’s respect. It wasn’t to scream about his credentials and demand that he be treated based on his abundant spiritual gifts.

Instead, Paul tells Timothy to just be a good Christian. Rather than let people ignore him because of age, Paul says for Timothy to live as such a good example of what a follower of Jesus should look like that everyone will notice. Talk like Jesus. Act like Jesus. Love like Jesus. Believe like Jesus. Practice personal holiness like Jesus.

This advice remains good and relevant for your own life. If people want to dismiss you because you’re young, old, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, have a title, or don’t have a title, don’t fuss, fume, or fight about it. Instead, be a true follower of Jesus. Show everyone what it looks like to live a life transformed by Jesus into the very image of Jesus. People WILL notice. They’ll see your example, your love, your faith, your purity. They will want that for themselves. They’ll seek you out and invite you to invest in their lives because they can see that Jesus is active in your life.

Don’t worry about those who consider you “less than”. Don’t get caught up in what you “deserve”. Simply reveal Jesus through every aspect of your own life. #FollowJesus

“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” – John 15:2

If you’re a follower of Jesus, born again by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, then you are a branch connected to Jesus. He is the one true vine who nourishes and sustains every branch. God the Father takes care of the branches to keep the whole plant healthy. As a branch, your purpose isn’t just to hang around and be “branch-y”. Like any good branch on a grape vine, your purpose is to produce fruit. The good news is that as long as you’re well connected to the vine (Jesus) you don’t need to stress about making the fruit. A healthy branch will always produce fruit through that life-giving connection.

What kind of fruit should you be producing? The fruit of a changed life. The fruit of increasingly Christlike character. The fruit of new believers who heard the Gospel through you. The fruit of maturing disciples learning to follow Jesus from you. The fruit of good works of love and mercy done in the name of Jesus. The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).

God the Vinedresser has a special technique He uses to help healthy branches produce even more, better, sweeter fruit. It’s called pruning! It involves cutting stuff out of your life. Stuff you feel pretty attached to. Stuff. that isn’t fruit. God wants to make you more fruitful by cutting things out of your life that waste your time, talent, and connection to Jesus. Some of those things are bad (habitual sin). Some of those things aren’t bad, just wasteful and distracting when done to excess (TV, smart phones, social media, etc.). Some of those things are good but not the best (ministries that you need to set down).

All of God’s pruning is for the good of His Kingdom. If you’re faithful in following and loving Jesus, expect to be pruned. Sometimes against your will. Let God prune things out of your life that keep you from being fruitful. Pray for God to prune things out of your life. Accept the discomfort (and even pain) of pruning and rejoice in the better fruit of a deeper connection to Jesus. #FollowJesus

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” – John 14:15

That Jesus can be pretty blunt, can’t He?!? The proof of your love for Jesus isn’t your jewelry, tattoos, bumper stickers, activities, or Sunday outfits. The proof that you actually love Jesus is your obedience. So, be honest with yourself…. Do you actually love Jesus?

Jesus has opinions about every single aspect of your life. He’s entitled to those opinions because He bought your freedom from sin, death, and the devil with His own blood. Jesus has authority over you because He literally holds the universe together. What He has commanded, you must do as His follower.

If you claim the name of Jesus but don’t obey His commands, you aren’t a follower of Jesus (see John 3:36). If you claim the name of Christ but don’t know what His commands are, you need to start studying your Bible!!! To be a Christian is to desire and strive to obey Christ in the power of His Spirit. We won’t be perfect but we must be serious in our efforts. If we aren’t, do we really love Him? #FollowJesus