“We love because God loves us.”
For years, 1 John 4:19 has been foundational to the identity of Perfecting Love Charlotte.
But as I continue to think, pray, study, and reflect on what God has called this church to become, something has become increasingly clear to me.
When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He brought everything back to love:
Love God.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
The older I get and the longer I walk with God, the more convinced I become that these things matter deeply.
For Perfecting Love Charlotte, I am beginning to articulate that very simply:
LOVE GOD.
LOVE OTHERS.
LOVE YOURSELF.
If Perfecting Love Charlotte does what God has called us to do, I want the people who spend their lives in this community to become people who love God more deeply, love other human beings more radically, and love themselves more healthily.
I am less concerned with whether someone becomes “churchy.”
I am less concerned with whether they master church culture or learn all of our theological vocabulary.
Those things are not my ultimate measure of discipleship.
If after spending time in this community you love God more deeply, love yourself more healthily, and love humanity more radically, I believe something meaningful has happened in your discipleship.
God’s love is our source.
Our love is our response.
We love because God loves us.
[Working draft — pastoral reflection in progress. To be completed and reviewed before publishing.]