McAlder Blog

In an article I read recently, the author wrote that one way to determine whether our plants are healthy is by looking at the leaves. If they are bright and shiny green, this is a very good sign that our plants have a strong foundation and are growing well. On the other hand, if the leaves are covered with brown spots, this is a good sign that they are not healthy.  
 

As I thought more about this in the context of our life in Christ, the Bible gives us specific things we can look for to determine whether our growth is healthy. Jesus tells His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35, NIV). In addition to that, of the three things Paul shares in 1 Corinthians that we sow and grow in this age and that will remain in the age to come—faith, hope, and love—the greatest is “love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). 
 

When it comes to growing in Christ, how do we know if our growth is healthy? We will know when we see godly love developing and growing in our character. If the foundation of our relationships, our work, our families, and our communities is rooted in God, one of the defining characteristics will be the presence of godly love. As we grow in godly love, the amazing thing is that others begin to take notice, similar to our noticing healthy growth on the leaves of our plants.  
 

Throughout the month of December, we will be exploring what it means for us to grow in love. Our students will learn that the kind of love that God plants in our lives begins with Jesus’ coming to us as a newborn king (Luke 1). Godly love in us begins with God, who first loved us. They will see examples of this love in the lives of people, such as in biblical characters like Esther, who risked her life to go before the king in order to save her people. Finally, they will learn from historical figures, like Ugandan Christian leader Festo Kivengere, that growing in godly love has the power to compel them to go even as far as forgiving their worst enemy. 
 

As we make this journey together this month, I want to invite you to join me in asking ourselves this question, “Am I becoming more and more of a person who loves as God loves?” I am sure that asking this question will lead you to parts of your life in which the “leaves will be bright and shiny green.” But if you are like me, there will be other parts you'll notice that are absent of God’s love and that require your attention. For those “brown spots” in our lives, my hope and prayer is that the same love that rooted Him in our world will take root in us so that we can grow and become all that God has created us to be. I am excited to make this journey with you.