“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).
Pastor Miller looked up from his computer to see a visitor standing in the doorway of his church office. “Well, hello, Sarah,” he called. “What brings you to our beautiful church on a Tuesday?”
Sarah dropped her book bag by the big leather chair next to the window and sat down with a sigh. “Is there a school for disciples?” she asked. “I think I need to take a class or two.”
“On what?”
“On how to be a better disciple! Sometimes I do pretty well. Other times I get confused and mess up. Jesus is probably embarrassed by me.”
“Oh,” Pastor Wilson responded with a knowing nod. “Sounds like you need to attend the School of Love.”
“The what?”
“The School of Love. It’s where all disciples in training go for help.”
Sarah leaned forward in her chair. “Where is this place?”
“Well, it can be in church or Sabbath School or at home. I’ve even attended the School of Love in a prison.”
“A prison?” Sarah gasped. “I don’t understand.”
The man grinned. “The School of Love isn’t a place, Sarah. It’s an attitude. Disciples have a lot of love in their hearts, and they’re always looking for ways to use that love. They want to know how they can better serve their family, their friends, their classmates, even their country.”
“So,” Sarah said, “what do they do at this school?”
“They study their Bible, learn from each other, develop personal talents that will help them share God’s love even more—you know, like a singer who plays his or her guitar or an artist or photographer who creates beautiful images. I order encouraging books online to give to inmates at our local penitentiary. They appreciate it.
“You see, we learn more about God’s love when we share God’s love. All that training and studying and developing our talents makes us better at what we do. If we get confused or mess up, Jesus is happy to help us fix the problem.”
“So,” Sarah responded thoughtfully, “Jesus isn’t embarrassed. He’s just thinking, Hey, that disciple needs a little more training.”
“Absolutely!” Pastor Wilson said. “So my advice to you is to spend time with people, offer encouraging words on social media, take an active role in church services, and develop your talents. That’s all part of attending the School of Love.”
Sarah grinned broadly as she headed for the door. “Thank you, Pastor Wilson,” she called. “I’ll enroll today!”
“See you in class,” the man responded with a wave.
Getting Ready to Go
Here’s your School of Love assignments. Circle the ones you want to complete this week.
- Read one chapter in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) each day for a week.
- Spend an hour in nature, asking God to show you something incredible.
- Practice one of your talents until you’re better at it. Then share it with someone.
1 Unless otherwise noted, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.
2 Texts credited to NIV are from the New International Version.
