August 29th

Liars

             Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.  We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.  The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

1 John 4:17-21

            This sounds good.  This sounds right.  This sounds like the kind of world that I want to live in.  “Perfect love casts our fear.”  Yes!  “We love because He first loved us.”  Exactly!  God is good and when we know that He loves us our fear of this world and the perils of life melt away!  Preach John!

            “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars.”  Wait…what?  “For those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.” John, that’s kind of strong language, don’t you think?  I mean…where is the wiggle room here?  Don’t you mean that we just need to be polite to others?  We should smile and nod even when they person talking to us is all kinds of annoying?  Be kind to all and tolerate people who have different theology and drive us a little crazy?

            “Those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”  Have you seen other Christians?  Have you read their posts and seen their children?  Their politics are all wrong.  Their interpretation of scripture is all wrong.  They don’t care about me and they surely do not care about my son!  All that we have in common is that we happen to live in the same city and want to follow Jesus.  What part of that equation means that I need to make space in my heart for them?

            “Those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”  But they are so messy!  To love them means opening myself and my family up to an entire world of pain and neediness!  I am barely hanging on to my sanity as it is, you can not possibly have a single good reason for me to welcome the problems of the other men and women of this faith.

            “Those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”  But their kids are not raised right and their marriages are falling apart and to love them is just going to make me tired!  And it is not like anything that I say will make any difference.  People will hear what they want to hear and do what they want to do and there is nothing that I can do or say that will change them.  You are asking me to care about people who are stuck in the grief and pain and despair of this world…to share the burdens and pains of men and women who have been run over by this life…what would that possibly gain me?

            “Those who love God…”  Okay! Fine.  I get it…I get it.  Our relationship with God is reflected in our relationships with other people.  If I have no use for other people beyond what they can do for me, then I have no use for God beyond what He can do for me.  If I am angry and bitter and dismissive towards men and women crafted in God’s image, then I likely feel the same way about the One that they were modeled after.

            We can love freely and without fear because that is how God first loved us.  Yes, people are messy.  Yes, they will hurt us and let us down.  Yes, they will need our forgiveness and mercy.  And that is okay…because that is how God loves us.

            You know who is great at loving people who don’t deserve it?  Our kids.  Watch them some time.  Watch them give and laugh and serve and forgive, even when it is clumsy and awkward.  Freely they have received; freely they give. 

           

           

A moment to reflect:

How can you love your brothers and sisters?