Fervent Love

"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart" - 1 Peter 1:22
The New King James Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1982.

According to Strong's concordance of the Bible, "fervently" in the Greek is ektenos which means "earnestly, intensely". It comes from a verb which means to "stretch out the hand, thus it means to be stretched out -- earnest, resolute, tense".

What I take from this verse and the original meaning of the word "fervently" is that the brethren, the body of Christ, is to be stretched out for one another. Our love for each other should be intense and earnest. The brethren should be a priority, even if it stretches us thinner than we already are. We have choices and we need to prioritize. When I think of this I think of the early church and the way they were there for one another at all times. They prayed for each other constantly. When someone was in need, the church reached out to meet that need. They shared everything; "Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need." -Acts 2:44-45
The New King James Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1982.
That is some fervent love, they were all together and had everything in common. If someone was in need they would go so far as to sell their possessions to help. I don't see a lot of that in the church today.

Our society today is a very busy society. In spite of all the modern conveniences that were supposed to save us time and make our lives more leisurely, we are busier than ever. We don't have time in a day to sit down and write a note of encouragement or pick up the phone and call someone just to see how they're doing. Our modes of communication are more impersonal than personal these days. Facebook, MySpace, and instant messaging have replaced face-to-face contact. We talk about getting together; "Let's do lunch" or "We need to have y'all over for supper", "We should get the kids together." Have you ever heard yourself saying these things knowing full well it wouldn't happen any time soon? I have. I have a list of people I intend to invite for dinner, but haven't yet. There are a multitude of reasons why we don't get around to it. Our lives are truly busy. We wake up in the morning, blink a couple of times, and it's bedtime. It's crazy, and we need to stop the madness. Our lives are controlling us rather than the other way around. We are sorely lacking a fervent love for one another because of our busyness and the justification thereof. I wonder if our justifications will fly with God when we stand before Him. "Father, I was just so busy! The kids had soccer practice, the laundry was piled up, my in-laws were coming to visit, I just didn't have time to pray with sister so-and-so when she was sick and next thing I knew I was at her funeral." I wonder what He would say to that. I'm sure He would be gracious and loving, but would He say "Well done, my good and faithful servant." Somehow I doubt it.

I want to run this race He has set before me well. I want to be a good and faithful servant. The whole idea of fervently loving my brothers and sisters in Christ is a burden on my heart. How can I be obedient to this command in my busy life? Well, I actually have a few ideas. When I make an appointment I write it down in my date book, so why not make an appointment on my calendar to write someone a note. Make another appointment to invite someone to lunch, or actually schedule having someone over for dinner. Rather than sending messages on Facebook, why not call one of my Facebook friends and actually hear each others voices? My husband and I have even contemplated turning off the internet altogether. THAT would give me some time to devote to fervent love.

Love is not just a feeling, it is also an action. If we're not taking action to let others know we love them, we're not really loving. We are not only called to love one another, but to do so with fervency; in an intense and earnest fashion. That's serious love, active love, the kind of love God has called us to. So, what's YOUR excuse?