1 John 4 - 6.17.24
Scripture:
1 John 4:19-21
"We love because He first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."
Observation:
In this chapter, John speaks about testing the spirits and how to discern whether they are from God. Is it the authentic Spirit of God? He then goes on to write about what real love looks like. Being able to love others originates from God’s love for us. His love for us is not meant to be kept for ourselves, but shared with others, especially our brothers and sisters in the faith.
Application:
Love our brothers and sisters in the faith.
There are people who say they don’t need the church. Their relationship with God is just between them and Him. I have also had people tell me that they love God, but they don’t love people. (I admit that I have fallen into both traps at various times in my faith journey.)
Why would John, through the Holy Spirit, need to encourage us to love our brothers and sisters in the faith? Because let’s be real, sometimes it’s not easy. Sometimes, we get hurt, disappointed, blindsided or have felt betrayed by family members. Some people have been sinned against too. Human relationships can be complicated, but no matter how hard it may be, we are called to love AND forgive our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Another example is in Matthew 18:21-22. Peter asked the Lord how many times he should forgive his brother and sister who sins against him. Peter didn’t ask Jesus about how many times to forgive the people in the world, but rather his own brothers and sisters in Christ. This just proves that even in the church, we will hurt others and be hurt by others.
We cannot operate apart from our family and although family has its ups and downs, it’s important to always pray for each other (it’s hard not to love people you pray for), forgive each other, and love each other. Scripture says that we can say we love God all we want, but we would be liars until we start loving our brothers and sisters in Christ (the Church) too!
Prayer:
Dear Lord, I don’t want my faith and my relationship with You to be a lie because I refuse to love my own brothers and sisters in Christ. Please help me to always forgive, show mercy and love the way You have first loved me. Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi