Increase in Love, increase in holiness

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

The mark of true faith and discipleship is love (John 13:35, 1 John 4:7-11). Love is also a means to holiness. To love God is to keep his commands (1 John 5:3, John 13:34, John 15:9-14). The greatest commandments are both about love (Matthew 22:37-40) to love God and to love others. Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), both the sins of others and my own sins. When love is my goal each day, I will naturally avoid sins. Apart from love I live in the flesh and cannot please God (Romans 8:8).

God - increase my love for others. Help me make loving others (especially tough people) my goal and priority each moment of each day. Make me patient and kind and humble and forgiving and enduring. Establish me in holiness, through this love, that I may be blameless before God and man. Amen.