Big Words of the Bible - Loving One Another

TJ Addington‘s Weekday Devos Podcast

Our world is deeply divided. Politics divides. Race divides. Social economic status divides. Even theology divides. Our personal preferences divide. The sad fact is that the church is not immune to these divisions but increasingly is being divided over the very same issues that divide society. Increasingly we have less and less tolerance for those who see things differently than we do. In fact, it is often impossible for fellow believers to even have honest dialogue over our differences in a civil manner. And rather than seek to understand or resolve those issues we often simply leave and look for those who agree with us. Or we ignore and gossip about those we disagree with.

In the letter the Apostle John wrote in 1 John, he directly links the love of Christ with the love of one another. In fact, he talks about those who love their brothers and sisters and those who hate their brothers and sisters. To hate others is to refuse to love them as Jesus loves us and commands us to love. It is a strong word but it is an accurate word when we choose not to love as Jesus loves.

Here is John: “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them”. (1 John 2:9-11)

Again. "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love…Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us...God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them…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.” (Passages from 1 John 4)

Those are strong words and deeply needed today in a divided world where division is so ubiquitous. Think of these characteristics of real love from 1 Corinthians 13. “Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

I find those words to be deeply challenging and I am sure you do as well. The quality of our relationships with others, especially those we don’t naturally like or agree with is a priority to God. And it is a large part of what it means to walk in the light.

Father, as I think about this teaching of loving one another my mind goes to whose who I find it most hard to love in your family. I pray that your Spirit would help me to love better, be more patient, more kind, more gracious and more generous and more like you. Amen.