Loving One Another

 

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7-12 ESV).

 

Perhaps one of the most difficult things to do consistently is to love others. John speaks directly to the heart of love in our reading today as he writes, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God” (v. 7).Loving is not an abstract, optional concept. It originates with God, and we pass along God’s love in our relationships with others. Lewis Smedes put it this way in his book Love Within Limits: “God’s love song is in many ways like other great love songs. Our challenge is to find ways to bring the heavenly rhapsody down into our own worldly ­realities.” There is great truth in that statement. However, as I said… it is terribly difficult. Of course, our perfect example is Jesus. He lived out perfectly the demands of perfect love, and he was crucified.

 

Especially in our culture, with near instant capacity to communicate through technology, life gets messy and people can be so difficult. We live with family, friends, and neighbors who often seem determined to test even our desire to love. But God didn’t command us to like one another. Jesus, after stating that the greatest commandment is “Love the Lord your God…” reminded everyone that the second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). That is not an optional command. Jesus also described it as a new command and gave the reason for us to obey it: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Jesus expects us to obey his commands. And he promises he will help us.

 

What better month than November to focus a bit on what that might look like in practical application. After all, it is the month of thanksgiving. In my experience, love for others begins with gratitude. That patient non-response to a moment of challenge is rooted in thanksgiving for the differences and freedoms God has given us. That quiet spirit that will not retaliate with words of actions for a hurtful attitude or word can only come when we build on the foundation of God’s patient grace with us. When we are grateful for God’s work in us, a smile and acknowledgement of kindness becomes much easier. Give it a try this week!