For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? (1 John 3:11-17 ESV)
I do not believe as Christians we are ever surprised that the world hates us. We can all get it. The hypocrisy and way we as a church treat people sometimes is not what we say we are suppose to do. John tells us to love one another because if we do not love we abide in death…
How many of you have hated someone? If we are all honest we can all say yes. Even possibly a beloved relative, who did something that did not sit right with us and for a moment, however brief it was, we hated them. If this is true, you (and I) were abiding in death and life has no place in us. And then let’s take it to Jesus’ level, where if you think bad thoughts about someone you have murdered them in your mind. So how many of us have ever thought bad thoughts about someone?
So we are all guilty of not loving, and not showing forth God’s love to those around us…
So what can we do?
Maybe smile at the person who hands you your coffee after you corrected them 25 times on the order and they still get it wrong…
Maybe we hold the door for people around us.
Maybe we help someone who we see struggling carrying a heavy load.
Maybe we are open to God’s leading and guiding to put us where we need to be, and do what we need to do…
Be ready to love everyone the way God loved you. Putting your needs before His own…
aSacredRebel 