“We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”
1 John 4:19-21
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “
Matthew 22:37-39
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JANUARY 2, 2025
Here’s the thing about loving God: in order to love God we must love others; as we love others we grow together into a community that loves God and loves others.
For the past nearly-two decades, my house has been full of children. Gone are the days when my husband and I could ask “What do I want to do?” Nearly every moment of our lives is spent answering the question “What does my family need?” Our orientation has changed from “me” to “us.”
Each day we sit down and eat together. We spend time together, work together, listen to each other. Fights break out constantly, but we keep moving forward, learning how to love each other.
There is something going on in this house that is bigger than any one of us. And if you profess your love for me, I won’t believe you if mistreat my family. Loving me is the same as loving them. They are me.
I think that’s why God couples loving Him with loving each other. How can we love God if we mistreat or ignore any of His children? If you saw that one of my children was suffering, yet you did nothing to ease their pain or help them survive, I would not believe you loved me. It’s as simple as that.
What is obvious to us in our earthly relationships is so easy to overlook in our relationship with God, isn’t it? Of course loving God and loving each other go hand in hand. What person—what aspect of creation, for that matter—is not dearly loved by God? How can we claim to love God if we do not care for God’s beloved children when we see their needs?
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- Take a moment to reflect on God’s wonderful, gracious love for you, and the love He asks from you in response. How has this love been made active among your family, neighbors, and church community?
- Are there ways you can reach out and love God in your community?
Church Reading Plan: Genesis 2; Matthew 2