Love Increases as Faith Increases – October 5, 2022

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.
2 Thessalonians 1:3

Love Increases as Faith Increases

If you plant a small apple tree in your backyard it may take several years before it’s able to start producing apples. But as that apple tree grows it could one day produce more than 100 apples for you each year. Some mature apple trees in orchards have been known to produce upward of 1,000 apples in a year! With the growth of an apple tree comes an increase in the amount of fruit it produces.

We could view Christian faith as an apple tree. As faith grows in a person’s heart, there will naturally be an increase of love flowing out of that heart. In the Bible, acts of love are often referred to as “fruits of faith.” As faith grows, love increases.

Now the question could be asked, “how does a person grow in faith?” Growth in faith happens as a Christian comes into contact with Jesus in the Bible. A growing faith is an ever-deepening appreciation of Jesus and what he’s done for us.

And what has Jesus done for us? He has loved us immensely and undeservingly! He’s taken away our sins and given us new life, even eternal life. A growing faith clings ever tighter in trust to what Christ has done. Ultimately, growing our faith isn’t something we do but something God does.

And here’s where the increase in love comes in. The more one basks in that love of Jesus, the more one wants to share that love with others. Serving and loving others becomes less of a duty and more of a delight for those who have experienced Christ’s love. Christians consider it a privilege to imitate Christ in their service to others.

As an apple tree grows, its apple production increases. It’s a natural thing. As faith in Christ grows, the love a person has for others also increases. It’s a natural thing for the one rooted in Christ.

Prayer:
Lord, increase my faith. Increase my faith not only because it will be good for me, but also because it will be good for others as I share my acts of love fueled by faith. Amen.