Remember the two principles from our Habitudes series.

(i) The journey of a disciple is a journey of increasingly becoming more like Jesus (Luke 6:40)

(ii) And it’s the attitudes...the inner posture…of our heart towards all sorts of things that affects this growth, either helping or hindering us.

In my blog last week I asked, ‘are there questions we can be regularly asking ourselves that will keep us positioned for growth?’ And then I shared my question relating to The Line – “How have I heard God speaking to me through His Word this week?”

Well, this week, I’ve been thinking through The Circle and how God grows us as we ‘one another’ each other. When we thought about this as part of the Habitudes series we thought about the “one another” verses.

But it’s not just the “one another” verses…

Remember the occasion when Jesus was asked which the greatest commandment in the Law was? (Matthew 22:36). Do you recall his reply? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”

What’s Jesus saying? I think it’s this: that the outward manifestation of our love for God is our love for others. In fact, John writes something similar in his first letter: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” (1 John 4:20)

And what was it that Jesus said to his disciples after washing their feet? “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)

 I hope you see…God grows us as we love one another.

It’s as we love…as we serve…that God exposes our hearts, our selfish motives, our self-centredness. It’s as we lay down our lives in loving service that Christ is formed in us.

So, what’s a question you could be asking yourself that would be a “growth” question?

Mine is this: “How am I doing loving the people God has placed around me?”