“And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12.28-31)
Following Jesus always boils down to love–love for God and love for people. In 2 Peter 1, which is the passage upon which our themes are based this year, Peter said, “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”
Notice how godliness (well-devotion to God), is immediately followed by affection for our brothers and sisters in Christ, and finally, love. Akin to the order of the greatest commandments, these facets of our character in Christ follow that order: devote yourself wholly to God, love your family in Christ, and love your neighbors.
This month, we are going to focus on scriptures pertaining to love for the family of Christ. Although the phrase “brotherly kindness/affection” may not always be explicitly stated, I included many of the “one another” phrases in the scriptures, since they typically refer to the brethren. As you write out the scriptures, take note of the kind of love we are to show our brothers and sisters. Love is not merely “being nice;” true brotherly love makes sacrifices of time, convenience, money, and more, just as Christ sacrificed for us.
I also would like to challenge you to do a couple things this month in addition to scripture writing. First, if your church has some kind of directory listing the people in your church, take that list and pray over a few of the members each day until you reach the end of the list. Reach out to someone new and listen to them. You’ll likely find out that some of your brothers and sisters are carrying significant burdens, and could use some additional love and support. Secondly, if you have brethren you know who live far away, pick one or two and send them a note, a text, or simply call them and see if there is some way you can pray for them.
I hope you’ll join us as we write out these scriptures and meditate on how we can grow in brotherly affection.
If you’d like a printable copy of the Scripture Writing Plan, you can access it below:
Got little scripture writers? Download the tracing or copying sheets below provided by Sara McBroom:
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Previous September plans:
- Working for the Lord (2025)
- Raising GenNext (2024)
- That You May Know (2023)
- Remember (2022)
- Trust in the Lord (2021)
- Reasons to Rejoice (2020)
- Put on the Full Armor of God (2019)
Visit the Elihu’s Corner page on Facebook or Instagram (@elihuscorner) and say hi! Bring your questions and comments! Each day’s scripture is posted and often includes some reflections on the passage.
Special thanks to Liz Smith and Sara McBroom who have helped me with this month’s plan.
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