Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the chosen ones, that they themselves also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
— Second Timothy 2:10
Brothers, we have to learn to tell the Lord as we follow Him, “Lord, we look to You for Your mercy that we might consecrate ourselves to live only for the church.” We must aspire to love the church absolutely from the very beginning of our Christian life. We have to ask the Lord to give us the ability to love the church in this way.
If you truly love the church and the Lord’s recovery, you will not find it easy to criticize the saints. You will not feel that the weaknesses or the shortcomings of the saints are something for you to talk about. You should not say anything or do anything to harm anyone in the church. To love the church may seem to be something in theory, but loving the saints is very practical. To love the saints is to love the church, and to protect the saints is to protect the church.
Adapted from Being One with the Ministry, volume one, page 57.
Tomorrow: “Conscience and Spirit”