Praying For Your Roots to Grow Down into God’s Love

David W Palmer

(Matthew 24:12 NLT) “Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.”

Just before his death on the cross, Jesus warned that “the love of many”—that’s right, he said many (the BSB says “most”)—would grow cold just prior to his return (Mat. 24:12). The Holy Spirit added that there would be a great apostasy at the same time (2 Thes. 2:3). What can we do to avoid being included with many—even most—people, whose cold love will lead to falling away? 

First and foremost, by God’s grace we need to do lots of forgiving, and then lots of praying about our love. Thankfully, through the apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit has given us some amazing prayers to pray for ourselves and for others so that God can help us keep our love hot and strong. The one we look at next is found in Ephesians 3:14–21. Let’s read the first three verses:

(Ephesians 3:14–16 NKJV) “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, {15} from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, {16} that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.”

Although the apostle Paul hasn’t specifically mentioned love in these three verses; if we follow his progression in them, we will understand what he says about love in the next verse. 

In this prayer, the Holy Spirit led Paul in a very interesting sequence. He begins by asking God to strengthen the Ephesian believers “with might through his Spirit in the inner man.” In other words, he is praying for a supernatural strength to come into their spirit. We can easily understand what strength for the outer man would be; it is physical, muscular strength and stamina. Strength for the inner man, however, is not so obvious. It is: 

• Strength of character—a moral strength, a force of resolve to do good not evil 
• Fortitude to complete God-given vision
• Perseverance to route spiritual enemies 
• Faith to overcome in the fight of faith
• Holy power to enter the narrow gate and to stay on the “constricted path” of love (Mat. 6:13-14 DKJV) 

Empowered in this divine supernatural strength, we are then ready to see Paul’s reason or objective for praying this:

(Ephesians 3:17 NKJV) “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love.”

The next part of this Holy Spirit-given prayer says, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” Now it’s becoming clearer; Christ can only dwell in our hearts, or live through us, by the cooperation of our free will. We need strength in the inner man, therefore, to give us the courage and moral ability to follow Jesus’s lordship with our choices. A single word that sums up this process is “grace.” Grace is God’s power to help us live a holy life. And we can only access this grace power—that is, have Christ dwell in our hearts— “through faith.” (See also: Rom. 4:16).

The final part of verse 17 makes the point clearer still: “that you, being rooted and grounded in love …” Following Jesus is all about living by love. Having God’s strength in our inner man is therefore essential; it gives us the courage, moral resolve, and the inner ability to keep his commandments to love God, brothers and sisters, neighbors, and even enemies. The sequence again is: pray for, and believe you receive, inner strength from the Holy Spirit so that Christ may dwell within, then you’ll be rooted and grounded in love.

Let’s pray this right now for ourselves, then for others. Read this aloud as your personal prayer to God. (Later you can memorize it, and pray it regularly.)

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant me, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in my inner man.”

Now you are set up for the final part of verse 17— “being rooted and g

Praying that Love May Abound

David W Palmer

(1 Thessalonians 3:10, 12–13 NKJV) Night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith? ... {12} And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, {13} so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

(1 Thessalonians 3:10–13 NLT) “… make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.”

We note something in this passage that is worth keeping in the center of our focus. Paul doesn’t flinch when he says that “you— ‘the church … in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Thes. 1:1 NKJV)—will stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again.” Without doubt, we will “all” stand before “the judgment seat of Christ” (Rom 14:10). In other words, God makes us accountable to him for our actions—whether “good or bad”:

(2 Corinthians 5:10 NKJV) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Jesus’s return is not an escape from the need to have a strong heart, be blameless, and to be holy. This is a strong motivator for the apostle Paul’s prayer for our love to grow and overflow; he knows that the attributes he listed are [some of] the very criteria that will be assessed as we “stand before God … when our Lord” returns. “Thank you Holy Spirit for adding this prayer to your word and making it so plain.”

Let’s imitate what we see here in Paul’s Holy Spirit-led prayer for the believers; and let’s pray this same prayer over our loved ones and ourselves—fully anticipating and expecting the results of which Paul wrote.

In another of his recorded prayers, Paul asked the Lord to do the same thing for his friends at Philippi:

(Philippians 1:9 NLT) “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.”

This Holy Spirit-inspired prayer is another that we can imitate. We too should pray that love will abound in us and overflow from our lives. Paul goes on to give us an impressive list of the outcomes and benefits he expects from this prayer:

(Philippians 1:10–11 NLT) “For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. {11} May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”

The benefits and results of this prayer are quite amazing; the apostle Paul prays that their love may overflow and that they keep on growing in knowledge and understanding so that they can first “understand what really matters.” What, you may ask, really matters? God is love; love and our loving actions and words obviously matter to him. The Holy Spirit wants us to grasp this as a deep and profound revelation. No matter what else we do or say in life, it must always be filled with, coated in, and motivated by love:

(1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NLT) If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. {2} If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. {3} If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love really matters to God; therefore love should be our priority.

Another outcome of the apostle Paul’s prayer for our love to overflow is that we may “always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character

Prayers about Love

David W Palmer

(1 Timothy 1:5 NKJV) Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.

(Matthew 22:37–40 NKJV) Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ {38} This is the first and great commandment. {39} And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ {40} On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus expects us to love; love is the goal of the commandment. What’s more, the rewards for loving God, his family, and even our enemies are truly amazing and exceedingly desirable. That’s why the Holy Spirit has poured God’s love into our hearts (Rom. 5:5). 

These truths are amazing, encouraging, and very motivating; but how do we get all of this to actually operate in our everyday lives? Is there some key to make it an experienced reality, or is love just a nice theory? 

Maybe the solution is simply to use such strong will power that we love by sheer resolve of good choices. But even if we could force ourselves to love purely, this would still not please God; he is not impressed with any of our self-effort, self-sufficiency, or self-achievement:

(Psalm 147:10–11 NLT) He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might. {11} No, the LORD’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love. 

(Hebrews 11:6 NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

(John 15:5 NLT) “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

From us, God longs for faith—the kind that trusts him to move through us. In other words, the kind of love God requires of us takes a supernatural intervention by him into our world. The only way this can happen is by abiding in Jesus—the living word—and then through our faith and prayers. But what should we pray?

Let’s look at some Holy Spirit-inspired prayers in the New Testament regarding love. Praying them will be in line with God’s will, and will be an important key to receiving his help and empowerment to love others with his love; thus, unlocking the love that can fulfill God’s expectation and receive all the wonderful benefits of loving God, his people, our enemies, etc.

1. That Love May Abound

(1 Thessalonians 3:12 NKJV) “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you.”

(1 Thessalonians 3:10–13 NLT) “Night and day we pray earnestly for you … may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. {13} May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy …”

The first Holy Spirit-inspired prayer for love that we look at is here in 1 Thes. We see the apostle Paul confirming that it is the Lord who can “make your love … grow and overflow.” Self-effort in love is not what God wants; he wants our faith—as expressed in our prayer, our words, and our actions. He wants us to believe that he will “make” your love grow and overflow.

God’s wise desire that we love like he does is not meant to condemn us to inextricable guilt; believing for him to enable us to fulfill his requirement is a joyous freedom, which releases life and brings buoyancy in our relationship with him. God’s love will fill you, overflowing in praise and gratitude to him and extraordinary love flowing out to others.

The apostle Paul then describes the result of God’s answer to this prayer: “make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy.” Each of these is a completely desirable blessing: 

• A strong heart will enable you to stay unswerving in your vision and resolve to live for God 100%. 

• Being “blameless” seems too good to be true, yet this is what our loving Father

Love Your Enemies

David W Palmer

After all of his experience with, and fruit from, grace—which we looked at yesterday—did Paul ever explain how it works? Yes, thankfully he did; he said that grace works by faith alone … the kind of faith exhibited by Abraham:

(Romans 4:16 NKJV) Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

(Romans 5:2 NKJV) through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

“It is of faith that it might be by grace” (KJV). Bearing in mind that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, we will continue to study God’s word to both learn how to receive the faith to operate in God’s grace.

Now that we know we can obey Jesus’s list of very challenging instructions about practical love through the power of God’s amazing grace, we can go back to it—confident that by faith in his grace, we can obey all of his directives:

• Love your enemies
• Bless those who curse you
• Do good to those who hate you
• Pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, etc.

For our topic here of practicing love, let’s think of the first item in this list as a heading, and those that follow as the sub-points. Loving our enemies can practically be expressed by blessing them, doing good to them, and praying for them.

Does Jesus really expect us to obey these commands? To us, this looks impossible. So let’s begin by thinking about why he wants us to follow these instructions, and then we will think about how to do them.

First, we freshly renew our minds to the truth that our Lord said in the conclusion of his teaching in Matthew 5–7: those who obey him will be like the wise man who built his house on the rock; it was crash-proofed against all that the enemy could throw at it in the way of natural disasters (See: Mat. 7:24–27). The Holy Spirit added that obeying Jesus in his directives will be our protection in this life and on into eternity (See: Heb. 5:9).

Being God, Jesus knows how the whole system is designed and how it works. Being Love, he always and only ever chooses for us what is for our good. We would be well advised simply to obey him, even though we don’t fully understand why he instructs us to do these things or how the system works. In other words, we obey because we love and trust him who is our Shepherd:

(John 14:15 CEV) Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will do as I command.”

Second, we must realize that Jesus is our master and divine coach; he knows the stakes and how to win in life. Uppermost in his mind for us is the irrefutable and irresistible law of sowing and reaping. It controls everything God created … yes, absolutely everything! It was so prevalent in Jesus’s thinking during his whole teaching in Mat. 5–7 that he puts it into the conclusion as the reason for his teaching, and as the objective of the whole of the law and the prophets:

(Matthew 7:12 DKJV) “Therefore, in everything, whatever you want others to do to you, you do the same to them: for this is the objective of the law and the prophets.”

(Galatians 6:7 NKJV) “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

Every action we take will be multiplied back to us in our future, with great increase. That’s why Jesus continually tells us to sow only good things; because what we sow today is creating the atmosphere and conditions in which we will live tomorrow and on into eternity. So, when about to react or respond to any situation, ask yourself: “Is what I am about to say or do what I want multiplied back into my eternal future?”

This is when Jesus’s constraining instructions about loving our enemies begin to make sense. He is showing us the way to reap what we want. To reap love in the future, he says to sow love perfectly now … even to

Love Like God Does by His Grace

David W Palmer

(Matthew 5:44 APE) “But I say to you, love your enemies and bless the one who curses you, and do what is beautiful to the one who hates you, and pray over those who take you by force and persecute you.”

Practicing Jesus’s expectation to love—even our enemies—is not easy; so we, the professed followers of Jesus, often grasp for excuses to not obey him. Rather than believe we can—by God’s amazing grace—be good and even perfect in the realm of love, we choose to adhere to slogans like: “I’m not perfect, just forgiven!” But is God happy with us having this self-image? Our wonderful Lord, Savior, and role model has something definitive to say about this:

(Matthew 5:48 CSB) “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

“Be perfect?” Is this really what Jesus expects of us? Let’s read some more of what he said in this context for a deeper understanding:

(Matthew 5:43–48 DKJV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘“you shall love your neighbour,” and hate your enemy’ (Lev. 19:18). {44} But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you. {45} This way, you will prove to be children of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. {46} For if you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do that? {47} And if you greet by invoking peace on your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do that? {48} Therefore, be completely perfect [in love], just as your Father in heaven is completely perfect [in love].

When we look at this in context, we see that Jesus’s topic is love at the level that proves you to be God’s child—a replica of Father and his love: 

(Ephesians 5:1 NKJV) Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

So when he says, “be perfect,” he is contextually saying, “Be perfect in love as your heavenly Father is perfect in love.” From all that we have seen in this book, and the other books in this series, we know that God has poured his own love into our hearts (Rom. 5:5), and that he expects us to overflow it onto others. This is obviously not done in our own strength; this is where God’s grace—the divine influence on the heart and its reflection in the life—comes in. 

God’s grace is amazing. These are some of the outcomes of grace that the apostle Paul wrote of:

1. Grace enabled Paul to speak on God’s behalf:

(Romans 12:3 ESV) For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you … 

1. Grace and gifts go together (the gifts of the Spirit are “graces” in Greek):

(Romans 12:6 NKJV) Having then gifts (graces) differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. (Parenthesis mine)

1. Grace enabled Paul to lay the foundation of churches etc.:

(1 Corinthians 3:10 NKJV) According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

1. Grace made Paul into what he was … a prolific and fruitful apostle:

(1 Corinthians 15:10 NKJV) But by the grace of God I am what I am.

1. Grace empowered Paul to work hard in his call and gifting:

(1 Corinthians 15:10a NKJV—10b NLT) But by the grace of God I am what I am … and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.

1. Grace enabled Paul to stand and rejoice:

(Romans 5:2 NKJV) Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

1. God’s Grace was sufficient for Paul in enabling him to overcome very trying circumstances:

(2 Corinthians 12:9–10 NLT) Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in w

Love Your Neighbour

David W Palmer

(Matthew 19:19 NKJV) “‘Honour your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’”

(Matthew 22:39 NKJV) “… ’You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’”

(James 2:8 NKJV) “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself,’ you do well.” (See also: Mark 12:31)

These passages express further aspects of the Golden Rule! Here we see both Jesus and the Holy Spirit (through James) articulating what James calls the “royal law”; that is, “love your neighbour as yourself.” This again is a simple way of knowing how to love others. It basically comes down to doing things for them that you would like to do for yourself, etc. Jesus’s golden rule was to do to others what you would have them do to you, whereas the royal law is to do for others what you would like to do for yourself. Together, they form a complete picture of love for others. This leads us to many and varied ways to love others from our own ingenuity. Added to this, here are some very practical, scriptural outworkings of what you can do for another to express love:

1. Don’t Cause Him to Stumble

(Romans 14:15 NKJV) “Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.”

This is a great example of what loving others is all about. Here, the Holy Spirit exhorts us not to cause them to stumble through a lack of self-control in the exercise of our own freedoms in Christ. Yes, as the apostle Paul says, “All things are lawful” but “not all things edify” (1 Cor. 6:12, 10:23 NKJV). Do that which edifies (benefits, builds up) and expresses love—even when it costs you something that you would otherwise have a right to. This self-sacrificing of one’s own freedoms and rights to benefit another is love!

Amazingly, the apostle Paul makes time and space in his Spirit-led, holy writing to clarify this principle:

(1 Corinthians 10:23–31 NLT) You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. {24} Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. {25} So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience. {26} For “the earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.” {27} If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience. {28} (But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. {29} It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? {30} If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it? {31} So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Paul’s message is basically that we should forego our freedoms for the sake of another’s conscience—even if they are a baby believer, uninformed about the truth, or even a non-believer. If their conscience is bothered by your intended action, don’t! The Holy Spirit wants us to do only what will help them in the long run: “I don’t just do what is best for me”:

(1 Corinthians 10:31–33 NLT) So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. {32} Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. {33} I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.

Love refuses to cause another person to stumble. In a potential conflict of what is permissible, the sacrifice of your freedom will be for the other person’s eternal good, and it will thus bring glory to God—whether it be in what you eat, drink, wher

The Holy Spirit’s Teaching on Wise Sowing

David W Palmer

(Luke 6:31–32 NLT) “Do to others as you would like them to do to you. {32} If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!”

The Holy Spirit expands on the principle of Jesus’s Golden Rule of doing unto others as we would have them do to us. He confirms and explains to us that God’s pledged way of interacting with us is through his law of multiplication. (Note: multiplication itself implies a zero outcome if one of the numbers multiplied is zero. In other words, if you sow nothing—no matter how much God wants to multiply what you sow—it will always come to nothing.) 

In Hebrews, the Holy Spirit says the following:

(Hebrews 6:13–15 DKJV) For when God made his promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, {14} Saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” {15} And in this way, having patiently endured, he (Abraham) obtained the promise.

Here, God both promised and “swore” an oath that he would honour the principle of blessing us—giving us his gracious power to speak his word and imitate his actions; and that he would multiply whatever seeds—words and actions—we sow. (This obviously applies to good and bad seeds.) Why did God both promise and swear this as an oath? He wanted us to be completely sure—to be absolutely beyond any doubt, argument, or hesitation—that he will do it … that sowing and reaping is foundational in the way he interacts with us.

Reading on in Hebrews, we see:

(Hebrews 6:16–18 NLT) Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. {17} God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. {18} So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. …

God did this so you and I can be fully assured of his intention and his eternally established commitment; reaping what you sow is completely certain; it will never go away, cease, or fail:

(Hebrews 6:14 WEY) saying, “Assuredly I will bless you and bless you, I will increase you and increase you.”

(Galatians 6:7 BLB) Do not be misled: God is not mocked. For whatever a man might sow, that also he will reap.

Thankfully, God’s blessing in Christ empowers us to sow both wise seeds and creative words by his grace—ensuring a blessed future.

Sowing Love, the Path that Leads to Life

Jesus first mentioned the principle of sowing and reaping when he was explaining how to enter, and stay on, the path that leads to life:

(Matthew 7:12–14 DKJV) “Therefore, in everything, whatever you want others to do to you, you do the same to them; for this is the objective of the law and the prophets. {13} Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are entering through it. {14} How narrow is the gate and constricted is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it (the narrow gate).” 

Jesus put the statement, “Enter through the narrow gate,” immediately after saying: “Whatever you want others to do to you, you do the same to them.” So in this context, a wise and loving application of the law of sowing and reaping is what Jesus had in mind when he coined the phrase, “the narrow gate.”

(Matthew 7:14 APE) “How narrow is the gate and strict the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it!

We note that Jesus also said that the “way that leads to life” is “constricted”—con-strict-ed or “strict” (Aramaic). In English, the prefix “con” means, “with,” or, “thoroughly.” This implies that to have an unhindered stream of God’s life flowing in and through you in full strength, continually; you will need to stay strictly on the path of sowing pure love; and that you can only s

The Day God Explained Himself

Jesus’s Golden Rule

David W Palmer

(Luke 6:31–32 NLT) “Do to others as you would like them to do to you. {32} If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!”

In this passage, our wonderful Lord Jesus instructs us in what has become known as the “Golden Rule.” His expectation for us to love is reduced here to a very practical principle; to love someone is to do to them what you would have them do to you. This does not mean that we should wait for them to do it first, but that we should initiate loving words and actions. 

Thinking of what we would like others to do for us helps us to think of what we should do for them. Not only will this benefit them and frustrate the enemy’s attempts to propagate his kingdom; it will benefit us too—in the long run, through God’s overarching law of sowing and reaping (Gal. 6:7).

Work with God’s System of Sowing and Reaping

Seeing that Jesus is alluding to God’s unfailing principle of sowing and multiplication, we need to take a closer look at it. After all, God set it in motion as an absolute law in both the natural and spiritual realms:

(Galatians 6:7 NKJV) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

We note that this passage begins with, “Do not be deceived,” or, “Stop being led astray.” In other words, you would have to be led astray and deceived—by the deceiver—to think that this principle could ever change or be broken … or that it wouldn’t work in your case. God’s word—in particular, on this matter—is already settled in heaven and sealed in writing for all eternity:

(Numbers 23:19 NKJV) “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

(Psalm 89:34–35 NKJV) “My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. {35} Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie ...”

(Psalm 119:89 NKJV) “Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.”

(Matthew 24:35 NKJV) “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

“God is not mocked”; you and I will certainly reap what we sow—nothing any different from what we sow, but exactly the same—only multiplied. Once we accept that this law is absolute and unchangeable, we can wisely work it in our favor—or unwisely allow it to work against us. But one truth in this is unequivocally sure: it will work; you will most certainly reap what you sow in every area of life, through every word and action. (Unless, that is, you have repented of it, received forgiveness for it, and cancelled it in Jesus’s name. In that case, Jesus took the negative harvest from your wrong sowing to the cross and had it go out of existence at his resurrection.)

Jesus’s Teaching on Wise Sowing

Thankfully, we can improve our own future if we engage God’s irrefutable law of sowing and reaping positively. For example, Jesus said:

(Luke 6:38 ESV) “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” 

This passage is not merely about money; Jesus originally said it as a conclusion, summary, or culmination of several wise directives. He was coaching his followers in how to benefit positively from the law of sowing and reaping. Note how many times and in the variety of ways our Lord says to sow for the outcome you want, despite the negative circumstances that coercively tempt you to do otherwise:

(Luke 6:27–38 NKJV) “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, {28} bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. {29} To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. {30} Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your g

Esteem Leaders in love

David W Palmer

(1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 NKJV) “And we urge you, brethren, to recognise those who labour among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, {13} and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.”

In this passage, the wonderful Holy Spirit says first to “recognise” those he has called to lead you. This may be a parent, teacher, boss (“in the Lord”), church leader, or husband, etc. It means to both take knowledge of who they are, and to watch them closely with the view to imitating their godly qualities. Conversely, the Holy Spirit exhorts them to be “examples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:3 NKJV). So watching your leader closely to imitate them is God’s idea; and it will happen without much forethought or effort—if you keep your eye on them:

(1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV) “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

God’s word calls us to “esteem” our leaders “very highly in love.” This means first to view them as the people God has placed in our lives to lead us into his will, character, and vision, etc. However, it also means to hold them in the highest place—in high esteem, if you like. As with wives respecting their husbands, this means that God wants us to respect and honour those he has placed in our lives to represent his authority. So, speak to them with esteem and submissive humility—always expecting the best of them, and that God will lead you through them.

Finally, God says to “love them.” This is an unambiguous exhortation to respect, honour, and esteem leaders, but also to do to them as you would have them do to you. On one hand, those set over us to lead us are powerful, anointed, God-appointed men and women of amazing strength and ability. But on the other hand, they are also frail humans—subject to all the same “afflictions” as all Christians (1 Pet. 5:9 KJV), having the treasure of a God-given supernatural gift housed in “earthen vessels” (2 Cor. 4:7 KJV).

The outward, public presentation of robust supernatural, venerated leadership is in stark contrast to “afflictions” and “earthen vessels” (clay jars). This means that when trying to relate to a strong leader, knowing when to change hats from trembling submission to loving care and compassion is quite challenging. This is why God encourages us to esteem them exclusively in love. It will take love, maturity, and a listening ear to God to know when to humbly acquiesce, or when to compassionately help the person who seems so strong and holy that they would never need our help. This takes God’s loving understanding.

Let’s now look at this passage in some other translations:

(1 Thessalonians 5:13 GWT) We ask you to love them and think very highly of them because of the work they are doing. Live in peace with each other.

(1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. {13} Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

Remember, leaders are flesh and blood people to whom God has assigned a high responsibility; remember also that they have a leader in heaven to whom they must account for their words and actions—so be very gentle and loving with them:

(Hebrews 13:7, 17 NLT) Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. ... {17} Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.

Showing love to a leader includes giving them “reason” to do their leadership of you “with joy and not with sorrow.” In other words, do all you can to make their task of leading you as easy for them as possible. How would you like followers to respond to your