Paul opened his first epistle to the Thessalonians with an expression of gratitude for their faithfulness. “We give thanks to God always for you all,” he wrote, “…remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). He observed that they had been good examples for church members in other areas. (See 1 Thessalonians 1:7.) And he added that Timothy, who had recently visited them, had brought “good tidings of your faith and charity” (1 Thessalonians 3:6).
To be a disciple of Jesus Christ is not only to love others but to love them more and more over time. Paul shared the following hope for the Thessalonians: “The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you” (1 Thessalonians 3:12). Then, he said:
As touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more.
1 Thessalonians 4:9-10
This reminds me of Mormon’s sermon on faith, hope, and charity. At the beginning of the sermon, he identifies his listeners as “the peaceable followers of Christ,” adding, “I judge these things of you because of your peaceable walk with the children of men” (Moroni 7:3-4). These are the people whom he urges to “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ” (Moroni 7:48).
I can think of two ways to increase in love. One is to love more people. The other is to love people more.
Joseph Smith said, “A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, “Chapter 37: Charity, the Pure Love of Christ“). We can increase the number of people we love by overcoming prejudices which cause us to exclude people from our circle of love. We can also increase the number of people we love by meeting more people, particularly people who are different from us.
How can we increase in love toward the people we already know and love? Here are some ideas:
- Pray for them by name, asking for them to receive specific blessings.
- Be grateful for them. Focus your thoughts and your words on their positive attributes and actions.
- Learn more about them. Be observant, and listen to them. Become acquainted with their hopes, their goals, and the challenges they face.
- Serve them, and serve with them. King Benjamin’s guidance about becoming close to God can also apply to our relationships with one another: “How knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5:13).
Today, I will increase in love toward other people. I will seek to expand my circle of friends, and I will seek to deepen my love toward those who are already my friends, especially my family.