I love our church body, and our faithful pastors. One of our shepherds, Andrew Larsen (Married to @ordinaryjoymama!), recently taught a deeply moving message about God’s Word, and these quotes from his points about how we love each other were so precious and timely that I’ve listened several times and feel compelled to share with you. If you can, go listen @scbiblechurch’s website to “Treasuring the Living and Enduring Word”

I Peter 1:22
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.”

If we do not treasure God’s Word, if we do not hold this close to our hearts, we cannot love the brethren as we need to. We are not set in a vacuum, autonomous from one another. [This] gives us a purpose, a reason that we are saved…. For a sincere love of the brethren. God did not just save us and set us on an island… 
God saves us, he makes us pure by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, so that we will express the love that we have received to one another. //
So what does Peter say? He doesn’t say fervently [earnestly] love those who adore you, love in return, treat you with respect, those who are fair to you. Jesus says in Matthew 5:43, “You have heard it said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 
But I say, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?”
How are we to love? We are to be characterized by a forfeiture of our rights and privileges for the sake of another. //
The source is the heart…. Fake love, for the Christian, is not an option. Love that is simply external is not the kind of love that we were saved in order to express. He’s not just saying you tack on this, you add it on to what you’re already doing, you put on some paint and make it work. No, he’s saying from the inside out, you need to have this kind of love. 
The spring-source has to be fresh water, otherwise the love will be toxic, self-centered and not genuine.