Day 360/365- 1 John 4:20-21

"Loving God = Loving others"

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters. (1 John 4:20, 21 NLT)

Most of the time when we think about our relationship with God that's exactly where it stops & starts. But is this all there is to knowing & loving God?

Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment in the whole law was and he answered that we should love the Lord with all our being & that a second one is like it, love our neighbor as ourselves. By answering this way Jesus forever links the two.

Peter even says the way that a husband lives with his wife can determine whether or not his prayers are hindered or answered.

In other words, our relationship with God is not just about how we relate to God. It's also includes how we relate to others. If we don't love our brothers who we do see, how can we love God who we don't see? What a deeply penetrating question!

For God, our love for him & others is linked & not separate. If we love him we will love others & by loving others we show our love for him.

This is why we need the church. This is why it's not just enough to worship at home or in a deer stand. We need each other & were created for community.

We find it easy to love God who loves us back but more difficult to love others who aren't so perfect in their love. But the real demonstration that we love God is not found in attending a worship service or reading our Bible but may just be found in how we treat others.

With that in mind, how well do we love God? How can we refuse to love others in light of the great love that God has lavished upon us?