Outreach 1

1 John 4:19-21

Driving through our old neighborhood the other day we were reminded of the experiences we had with the people who lived next door. We didn’t always get along with them and we weren’t always happy with the way they kept their yard. It isn’t always easy to get along with other people.

But John has a message for us about loving others. Why do we love? What is required to love God? If we love God, who else must we love?

So often Christians like to talk about love, but they come up short when it is time to actually show love. We can celebrate the love of God and we can believe in love as long as it is an abstract idea.

When it comes time for showing love, for actually expressing love to the people who are in our lives, we often fail. We may find it too difficult to really love a person who is very different from us. We may be repelled by a lifestyle, how they dress or how they groom themselves. We may find it far too easy to judge them and find them lacking in what we value.

But we are called on to love our brothers. And the brothers we are called on to love are not just those people in our own community, but people all around the world, even those who are completely different and alien to us. John points out that these people, these brothers, are persons we can see with our eyes. We can bear witness to their plights and their troubles.

And yet, if we can not love these brothers who are in our lives, how can we possibly love the person of God who is unseen and far beyond our mind’s comprehension?

It is interesting that John begins this passage with a vote of confidence. God initiated this love. He loved us first. Perhaps, if we remember that God was able to love us, then we might be able to love others.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you show love to your brothers?