2 Peter 1:7 “And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” KJV In the Greek language of the Bible, there are a couple of words that we translate as our word “love.” The one we are concerned with here is “phileo.” It means to show kindness, good will, and affection to our fellow Christians. In the list of attributes we have been diligently adding to our faith, we’ve turned a corner. We are no longer putting in bricks that affect only ourselves. We are now reaching out to others with kindness and affection.
Living in godliness is a sure cure for selfishness. It’s time to get out of the classroom and into the real world. There are people out there! We want them to be nice to us! Are we learning to be nice to them? If we have truly been studying the WORD, we’ve come across places where Jesus has told us to “love one another” as He has loved us. (John 15:12 “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” KJV),
That, however, is not the Greek word “phileo.” That Greek word is “agape,” and it is the subject of our next meditation. The phileo aspect is an everyday word. It means mostly to be able to get along with people, specifically the ones we are in most contact with. It can extend to those we meet in the job, the marketplace, school, etc. It pretty much applies to everyone that we do not have a long-standing, more intimate relationship with.
And yet, it is a part of our growing up to maturity in our Christian life. We need it and achieve it as a fruit of our virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience and godliness. We want a reputation for being able to reach our goals in life. We want people to smile, not run, when they see us coming. To do that, we have to have all the other bricks in place.
Is it a hard thing? Is this what people mean when they say how hard it is to be a Christian? Is it just keeping ourselves from sin, or does it have to do with wanting to do things our own way? Does it represent a crossover point of dealing with others, even others we love? When was the last time we saw someone coming and wanted to run instead of smile?
It’s time to bite the bullet. It’s time to decide if we want this Christian life and lifestyle to be real. After all, what are we working on this wall for? Did we mean it when we started that patience level? And the self-control before that? Even non-Christians have a certain amount of will-power to be able to handle themselves and get along in life.
We are wanting to be good at this thing. We have the advantage the world does not have. It’s called the grace of God. Without that grace, which the Amplified translation calls, “[that merciful kindness by which God exerts His holy influence on souls and turns them to Christ, keeping and strengthening them-“(II Corinthians 6:1 Amplified Classic), there is no real power in ourselves for what we want to do. Try as we might, it just doesn’t last till the next challenge.
Father, thank You so much for Your precious grace. How desperately we need Your “holy influence” to keep us trying and learning and working, especially with our brothers and sisters. Thank You for the big picture of our unity in the faith. Amen.
Restoration Ministries 