If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a
liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God
whom he has not seen.
With the political season over, and the rise of social media
post against certain politicians I am often disheartened over the mean spirited
communications that occur between people who claim to be followers of Jesus
Christ.
It seems that if I do not hate who you hate and make that
hate known in the public, we cannot be friends. Often people feel that true
hatred cannot be made complete unless they get everyone else to feel their hatred
as well.
Do we see this in our earthly relationship with others as
well? Can I not be nice to a person if you do not like them or have some type
of grudge with them?
We see in these texts that we are called to love others and
Christ loves us. We notice that in the texts from John that our love for one
another is not His wish, but rather we are commanded by Him to love one
another.
John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, that
you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By
this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 15:12
This is my commandment, that you love
one another as I have loved you.
Beloved, if we
truly want to call ourselves people in a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ, it should be impossible to have hate in our hearts, minds and souls.
More importantly is should be impossible to pass that hatred down to others and
to hate them as well, because they refuse to hate as you do.
My friends, hatred
is not conducive to the ministry and teachings of Christ Jesus. As Jesus was
hanging on the cross, His words to His Father were: “Father forgive them, they know not what
they do” Luke 23:34. Christ did not say, “Father hate them for what they
have done to me”. As he hang dying on the cross, betrayed and beaten, even
then hatred never passed his thirsty lips.
The only hatred
in my heart is for hatred, and the only person that I don’t want you to like is
Satan.
When the people of
the world disappoint us, choose to love and leave the rest in God’s very
capable and loving hands.
This is the day
that the Lord has made.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 15:12
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
