Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:9-10
“A happiness that is sought for ourselves alone can never be found: for a happiness that is diminish by being shared is not big enough to make us happy.
There is a false and momentary happiness in self-satisfaction, but it always leads to sorrow because it narrows and deadens our spirit. True happiness is found in unselfish love, a love which increases in proportion as it is shared. There is no end to the sharing of love, and, therefore, the potential happiness of such love is without limit.
Infinite sharing is the law of God’s inner life. He has made the sharing of ourselves the law of our own being, so that it is in loving others that we best love ourselves…”
Thomas Merton in No Man is An Island (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1983) 3.
To grow in Christian generosity is to understand that infinite sharing does not leave us lacking but rather points the way to abundant living. It’s unselfish. It honors others ahead of ourselves.
How do we grasp this, when it is so foreign and different from the world in which live? Thankfully Jesus answered this for us. We must remain (think: soak or marinate) in His love. Notice the repetition.
“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you keep My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:9-12
To prepare our hearts for Advent, let’s remain (soak and marinate) in the love of Jesus this week. As I preach five times today (seemingly infinite sharing), I trust God to sustain me and pray He sustains you in your service too.