So You Love God

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. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:20-21 (NIV)

“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. If you are not where you once were in Christ, who moved? It wasn’t Jesus.

“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 but 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!

“Who is my 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. We must 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. To love our neighbor and live at peace with our brothers and sisters is the ultimate witness of Christ in us.

“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.

Who Is My Neighbor

Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV) Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

You can’t choose your neighbor. They can be any religion, any race, or any nationality. You may notice that Jesus didn’t say love your friends, family, or fellow church members. Luke records this event and tells us that the Pharisee trying to justify himself asks, “Who is my neighbor?” Perhaps a closer look at the word can help him. It comes from two old words, “nae” meaning near and “buer” meaning dwell or residing. The Greek word used is “plesion” which is a derivative of a word meaning “near”. Literally anyone near us is our neighbor.

Jesus responds to the Pharisee by telling the story of the Samaritan. The example Christ used of a neighbor was someone that was found injured on the road. When the Samaritan came near to the man he became his neighbor. The Jews and the Samaritans were at odds over religion, there were plenty of things that could have separated them and they didn’t even know each other. In this story Jesus takes away every excuse that we use to separate us from people. Rich or poor, educated or illiterate, Christian or pagan we must love those that are near.

I have observed some that would give cheerfully to orphans half way around the world but disdain the poor in their own town. It might be easier to love those that are distant. Their faults don’t shout at us over the miles. However, the faults of the man that just cut us off in traffic or the neatly dressed couple that just knocked on our door to share their particular brand of religion can be hard to overlook. I believe that is why Jesus chose the word neighbor. Those that are in close proximity to you. We must share the love of Jesus with those that we happen upon along the road to Jericho. Every day we meet people that have been abused by others, sometimes in the name of religion. It is up to us to pick them up, dress their wounds, address their needs, and love them just like God has loved us.