You show it by responding to ministries as an elder, or deacon, or an usher, or to sing in the choir. And this morning as our church school leaders begin to gather teachers for children of our church and community, I am expecting the same kind of outpouring of love. If it does not take work and does not take courage, it is not love. This is a great description of Christian love love that is a decision, not an emotion. Teaching the children of our church to know and love God takes work and courage.
Some teachers are parents who are showing love for their children as they teach their classes.
But many teachers step forward without having that natural incentive to teach because they love the Lord and obey the Lord s call to love one another. The fourth word of this text is joy. By this everyone will know you are my disciples. When Malcolm Muggeridge, a brilliant man of the world, first encountered Mother Teresa in Calcutta among her destitute and dying, he could not explain the luminous quality he saw in this little, plain woman. This turned out to be far more than a TV assignment for Malcolm Muggeridge, for eventually it was that joy which drew him to Christ, who always shares his joy with those who obey him.