Just Sayin

Week 11

1 John 4:20-21 (NIV)
²⁰ If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
²¹ And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

·         “Just Sayin” 

      It’s not enough to say you love God.  If you dwell in God and God in you than you will love your brother.  That doesn’t mean we won’t get our feelings hurt and even get angry but it does mean we will be quick to forgive.  Harboring a grudge and becoming bitter leads us to hate our brother.  If you find yourself unable to feel the presence of God leave your gift on the altar and go be reconciled with your brother.  You can’t love God and hate someone else.

·         “love the one your with” 

      John is talking about seeing with our eye.  We have not physically seen God and yet we say we love him while there are hurting people all around us that we see every day that we can’t find the time or inclination to love.  If we cannot love (not in word but in deed) those that we see how can we love God?  You can’t!  

·         “Oh Brother”  

      When Jesus told the lawyer that he must love his neighbor as himself in order to inherit eternal life the man trying to justify himself asked, “Who is my neighbor?”  Jesus then gave the example of the Good Samaritan.  The use of brother parallels the word neighbor.  It is time we stop trying to justify not loving those hard to love people and instead find reasons to love them. Just let the light of God’s love shine through us after all we are God’s children.

·         “Designed For Community”  

     You are made in the image of the Triune God.  God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit form the perfect community of love.  We are most fulfilled when we are conformed to the image of Christ so let me remind you of His prayer in John 17:22-23  “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”  Jesus prayed that we would live in the same love and community that He and the Father have enjoyed for eternity. 

·         “It’s a Command?”   

     We like to have options.  The ability to pick and choose what we like is appealing to our flesh.  Many apply this desire to their relationship with God.  We prefer to think of God’s commands as suggestions. We do this at our own risk.  Loving our brother is not an option or suggestion but a fundamental part of living in Christ.  If Christ dwells in us and we dwell in Him we will love our brother.