In My Life, I Love You More

Our relationships in the Truth are eternal by God's grace. No matter how life changes, you are the people to whom I am always connected.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote a popular song in 1965 called In My Life. It is still considered a classic ballad, played often by radio stations, now some sixty years later. As an eleven-year-old, I liked the music, but the words didn’t have much meaning to me then. 

Though I know I’ll never
lose affection

For people and things
that went before

I know I’ll often stop and
think about them

In my life, I love you more.1

While Lennon and McCartney focused on romantic love, during the holiday season I found these words to be very insightful about the relationships of life. Throughout my life, I have made hundreds of friends and acquaintances. Some were schoolmates, others from work, and still others were neighbors. During those relationships, I gave little thought to their ending. But it turns out that they were mostly transient relationships, only existing for a brief time. When I changed jobs, friendships faded away. When I moved to a new neighborhood, the association ended. So many relationships we experience are based on short-term commonalities and interests.

During the holiday season, my wife hangs the holiday cards we receive on strings across a couple of windows. I stared at them as I drank my morning cup(s) of coffee. Many have generic artwork for the season, while others are photos of a family wishing loved ones a happy holiday season. We enjoy getting these. 

As I started looking more closely at them, the lyrics of In My Life began to ring clear. One card was from an old neighbor, two from past work associates, and three from extended family members. All the rest, by far the majority, were brothers and sisters and their families. What was clear is that there may be “people and things that went before” that we occasionally call to mind. But our relationships in the Truth are eternal by God’s grace. No matter how life changes, you are the people to whom I am always connected. As one line of the song says, “There is no one compares to you.”

As a community of believers, we undergo countless life changes. But the “anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19) is the hope we share. It connects men and women from vastly different walks of life, cultures, and regions of the world. In most cases, we would never have met if it were not for our common hope. It’s possible we wouldn’t even be drawn to each other if we were co-workers or neighbors. The gospel trumps all differences. Distinctions the world makes to define and separate people are meaningless as we unite to worship our God. 

What is it that is at the center of our community? What is the one constant in our lives through all of the decades? It is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the center of our hope and the love of God. He makes this all possible. This love facilitates us being “knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding.” (Colossians 2:2). 

Much of the teaching of Jesus and the apostles centered around helping believers nurture these life-long relationships. In God’s wisdom, a completely different approach was needed to unite men and women around the world in fellowship.

Love one another, as Jesus loved us (John 13:34).

Don’t give up on the habit of meeting together (Hebrews 10:25).

Bear with one another and forgive one another (Colossians 3:12-14).

Let all things be done to edification (1 Corinthians 14:26).

Prefer the needs of others over your own (Philippians 2:4).

When we neglect these behavioral principles, we experience strife and division, and the love that binds us together waxes cold. If we want long-lasting and beneficial relationships, we can only achieve them through the bonds of the Spirit.

I’ve written before2 that the Commandments of Christ, which accompany our Statement of Faith and Doctrines to Be Rejected, is an underused tool in ecclesias. It was designed to have one of the commandments read each week (that’s why there were originally fifty-three commandments cited). During Memorial Service, the presider would read the commandment matching that week (e.g., the third Sunday in January corresponded to the third listed commandment). How often would pausing to consider one of these commandments have diffused a volatile situation we were experiencing? Here are just a few of those direction-setting commandments.

Agree with your adversary quickly, submitting even to wrong for the sake of peace.

Bless them that curse you; let no cursing come out of your mouth. 

Pray for them that despitefully use you and afflict you.

In everything, give thanks to God and recognize Him in all your ways. 

Let your light shine before men: hold forth the word of life. Do good to all men as ye have opportunity.

One of the reasons relationships endure in our community is our mutual commitment to embracing these Divine principles. The bedrock of our fellowship isn’t tethered to temporary commonalities. Rather, it is centered on the timeless principles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Death Doesn’t End Relationships

All of us mourn the loss of brothers and sisters in the truth. We loved them dearly. They inspired us. We walked together, often serving side by side. In the secular world, death ends all relationships. They become “people and things that went before.” Yet, the joy we have is that death does not end fellowship. It is but a pause. The brother or sister who mentored us long ago now sleeps in Christ. But by God’s grace, they will work again with us throughout eternity in the Father’s Kingdom.

We also have a fellowship with believers we’ve never met, some of whom take us back to the days of the patriarchs. We stand beside Elijah in the cave. We rejoice with Solomon as he dedicated the temple. We mourn with Jacob as he loses Rachel in Ephrathah. We pour our souls alongside David as he feels guilty for his sin. Scripture is given to us so “that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4). 

When we lose a dear one in the truth, Paul understood we would sorrow. The death of the righteous moves God Himself (Psalm 116:15). But Paul reminded us that we “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Sometimes this verse is used to “scold” those who are grieving. It should never be applied that way. Instead, these verses remind us of the unthinkable glory of serving our God. It lifts us up in our grief to know that while we deeply miss and mourn our loved one, far better days with that individual are yet to come. Outside of our hope, we experience sorrow, along with everyone else.

A City With Many Gates

We praise God for the fellowship we share. Our community is like a close family, one we have lived in for part or all of our lives. It is comfortable inside. We are familiar with the language, our shared first principles, and worship practices. 

God has drawn all of us to our Lord so that we can serve Him together in fellowship. Jerusalem was the city of the great King. It was where men and women went for fellowship as they worshipped God. Yet the city was not a fortress with carefully guarded entrances and limited access. It had a multitude of gates for men and women to enter. Wherever you came from, there was a convenient gate to allow access.

We enjoy the comfort and reassurance our community provides. But our gates must be open. Our ecclesias cannot become exclusive families that are not welcoming to new members. In 2025, may we all seek ways to open the gates to others in our communities. 

I’ve listened carefully to those who have come to the community later in life. A newly baptized brother recently described his experience as being accepted and supported. Many others tell their unique experience of joining a family that genuinely cares for them. I know that not every person has a similar experience, as it can be challenging to understand and navigate becoming part of the community. But when I think of these brothers and sisters, I realize this is the story for all of us. We were all once on the outside. By God’s grace, someone opened a gate and invited us to come in. 

Fellowship to Come

With all the joys of fellowship today, we accept that it pales compared to what is yet to come. Immortal life, with the sorrows and limitations of the flesh stripped away, is a joy we have yet to experience. Have you worked with another brother or sister to preach the gospel, often to small and unreceptive groups? Imagine that work in the Kingdom, where all will seek us to teach them the peace of the gospel! Paul looked for a passage in the Old Testament that sums up what lies ahead far supersedes anything we have experienced. He drew on Isaiah 64:4.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9).

How This Influences Our Thinking Today

We must acknowledge that life in the community is not always easy. We don’t always agree, and sometimes we can rub each other the wrong way. We don’t always act as loving family members. We can do dysfunctional things. But that’s because we are still flesh, needing to come closer to the spirit and mind of Jesus Christ. We are a work in progress.

I enjoy our fellowship today, but what is yet to come is breathtaking. At the end of the day, “there is no one compares to you.” You are my family today, tomorrow, and forever by God’s grace. My love to you all.

Dave Jennings