Day 15: Toward not For; Ours not mine

"For this reason, because I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love toward all the saints" Ephesians 1:15

The word that jumps out at me in this verse is actually one that I remembered incorrectly. I thought the verse said "and your love for" rather than "your love toward." These are not prepositions that I normally use interchangeably. Love For to me is much more passive and seems like more of an inward feeling. Love Toward is about action and doing. Not having the expertise to check the Greek, I checked another translation. Here it is:

"For this cause I also having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which ye show toward all the saints..." (ASV)

Having read this passage from the American Standard Version, I wonder if I should be memorizing in this translation. This translation maintains the toward but also adds this key phrase which ye show. So it seems that what Paul is praising here is not love the feeling but love the action.

Another interesting thing to note in this translation is the way Paul praises their faith. He does not praise their faith individually, but the faith that they have among them.

Two challenges from this passage: Activate my love for the saints and practice communal faith. I find that both of these are particular challenges to our culture which makes so much of sentimentality in love, and individuality in faith. I think I'll start both of these practices in my own home.

by the will of God,
Jonathan