1 John 4:16-21
“16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is aliar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”
We know from the scriptures that God loves us, it is something that is stated over and over again. Nothing that we did qualified us for this love, and nothing we do can ever disqualify us either. God loves us unconditionally, simply because we are His. How do we show our love for God though?
In John 14:15 Jesus tells us:
“15 ¶If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
And what are the two greatest commandments that Christ taught in His ministry? The first was to love God, and the second was to love one another. It breaks my heart to see people who are striving to live the gospel–who are spiritual and prayerful–be unkind to another person. Verse 20 so clearly states that we cannot possibly love God if we do not also love our brother!
I challenge you all to think twice about your thoughts, words, and actions towards others. Strive each day to be more forgiving, more understanding, and less critical of those around you. Strive to adopt into your heart a Christ-like love for those people with whom you associate. Charity, or the pure love of Christ, isn’t simply something that we give to others in hardship or at Christmastime. When we strive to truly be like Christ, charity becomes a part of who we are. It is everyday kindness. It is seeing the best in others and looking past their faults in the hope that ours won’t be magnified or dwelt on by others either. Charity is truly trying to see others as God sees them, and repenting and trying to be better when we don’t.
“21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”
I am a wife to an amazing man and a mom to an 18 month old girl with another girl on the way! I am a certified footzone therapy practitioner, and I love holistic health remedies, essential oils, and living (er, trying to live) a healthy lifestyle. I dream of having a gaggle of kids and animals one day. Obsessed with Harry Potter, football, and elephants. In that order.
I love how this relates to the earlier Advent post on Charity. It really is the greatest commandment and Godly attribute