{"id":89365,"date":"2025-08-12T12:36:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T17:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=89365"},"modified":"2025-08-12T12:36:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T17:36:08","slug":"love-one-another","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/love-one-another\/","title":{"rendered":"Love One Another"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

by Luke Bower<\/p>\n

The other day, I overheard someone talking about how they enjoy buying things online. They even observed that as soon as the drone delivery system is perfected, they won’t have to interact with the UPS person. It seems that more and more stores are moving in this direction. Have you noticed that our society is becoming increasingly isolated from each other? You no longer have to go to department stores; just order what you want online. You don’t have to talk to anyone at the grocery store; with self-checkout lanes, you don’t even have to talk to a cashier. From drive-through windows to internet shopping, it’s all designed to make our lives easier, but it’s also taking away our interaction with each other.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, many of us apply this same attitude to the church. We slip in, talking to as few people as possible. We find that a pew allows for a quick getaway, and as soon as the closing prayer is over (or maybe while the invitation is being sung), we make our dash to the car. I heard a quote that seems to capture this attitude:<\/p>\n

To live above with those we love,
\nNow that is grace and glory.
\nTo live below with those we know,
\nNow that’s a different story!<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"One of the greatest commands God gave us is to love one another. How can we do that if we refuse to interact with each other? How can our good works be a light to the world if the world can’t see them? How can we encourage one another without physical interaction? It isn’t always convenient and may involve stepping out of our comfort zones, but we need to slow down and share our lives with others. Talk to the cashier at the store. Speak to others before and after church. Let’s love one another and let our lives be a light to those we meet!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Luke Bower The other day, I overheard someone talking about how they enjoy buying things online. They even observed that as soon as the drone delivery system is perfected, they won’t have to interact with the UPS person. It seems that more and more stores are moving in this direction. Have you noticed that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[448,1397,65],"class_list":["post-89365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-church","tag-isolation","tag-love"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":63722,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-communication-breaks-down\/","url_meta":{"origin":89365,"position":0},"title":"When Communication Breaks Down","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 11:1-9 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0After the flood, mankind feared to obey God\u2019s command to spread once again across the world. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They took it into their heads to build a great city and a tower that would make a name for themselves. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Mankind was united, but they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38186,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-to-talk-about-sexual-things-before-we-are-married\/","url_meta":{"origin":89365,"position":1},"title":"Is it wrong to talk about sexual things before we are married?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My girlfriend and I have had a long-distance relationship for a while we really love each other. With God's help and guidance, we plan on getting married in the future. But we occasionally like to talk about kissing and other related activities. We were feeling confident with each other\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87202,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/before-the-divorce\/","url_meta":{"origin":89365,"position":2},"title":"Before the Divorce","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton In all divorce cases, there is a long period in which peace, love, and communication slowly deteriorate, and each side becomes critical and hardened against the other side. There is a period in which hurt feelings build up into bitterness. Now, nothing the other side does\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45249,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/im-so-ashamed-of-what-we-did\/","url_meta":{"origin":89365,"position":3},"title":"I’m so ashamed of what we did","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am up to my limit and have nowhere else to go for advice. I hope you can help me understand what is the right thing for me to do. My family and I started going to a church less than five years ago. I met my boyfriend while\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88130,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/one-another\/","url_meta":{"origin":89365,"position":4},"title":"One Another","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Romans 12:9-13 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We are an individualistic society, but we recognize the need to work together to achieve goals. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We form companies to manufacture goods \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We have governments to coordinate society \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are aspects of Christianity that I am responsible for as an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16140,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-proper-to-talk-about-the-details-of-sex-with-your-intended-before-marriage\/","url_meta":{"origin":89365,"position":5},"title":"Is it proper to talk about the details of sex with your intended before marriage?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 23, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hey, I have a quick question for you. I want to know your view on this. OK, well, you know how it is when you have a girlfriend and you have temptations from sexual desires. I love her so much and everything. I want to express my love for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89365\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}