“And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” 1 John 4:21 NIV
The Bible calls them the two great commandments (Matthew 22:36-40), not “the two great suggestions, if you’d maybe like to give it a try.” John reminds us that the commandment comes directly from God “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” (1 John 3:23). This means that we are not free to shrug it off if we claim to be Christians. The fact that love can be commanded shows that it is not primarily a feeling, but rather an action: a caring, self-sacrificing commitment that shows itself in seeking the highest good of the one loved. By God’s grace and in dependence on the Holy Spirit, we can and must practise such love, even toward those who are difficult to love. The fact that God commands us to love shows that it is not always effortless or easy. If love just gushed out of us like a mountain spring, then John wouldn’t have laboured the point as much as he does. Some of us have experienced deep wounds from those who profess to be Christians. I’m not saying that loving them will be easy, but I am saying that it is not optional. God gave us this commandment, and He didn’t attach a list of exceptions for difficult cases. What He had done is given us the supernatural ability, through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, who spreads the love of Christ abroad in our hearts, to love.
PRAYER THOUGHT
Holy Spirit, thank You for giving us the supernatural ability to love.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Thank You Holy Spirit for giving us the supernatural ability, through Your indwelling power, as You spread the love of Christ abroad in our hearts to love others; even those who have hurt us. AMEN
I.B.R.A. Readings
Jeremiah 14:1-7
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