My greatest fear for the body of Christ is that we
might consistently say that we are committed to loving others—we might give
cognitive assent to the primacy of the Great Commandment—and yet never
effectively express love in action. If spiritual formation does not result in a
people who are learning to love well in every season of life and in every
community, then we are engaged in a spiritual formation that is missing the
mark. All of our efforts to develop intimacy with the Savior—Bible study,
prayer disciplines, journaling, meditation, and so on—ought to deepen our
experience of his love in such a way that we are moved to love with action. May
we, like Paul, be so compelled by the love of God that we cannot help but act
in service of others.[1]
[1] Bill Miller, “Love and Spiritual Formation” in Foundations of Spiritual Formation, ed.
Paul Pettit, 176.
