A Thought For The Week Of July 9

A thought for the week (a day late, but better late than never!): "If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:20) You can't claim to love a God who is love and then not be moved to love in return. That seems pretty basic to me. And yet it astonishes me that a lot of Christian often seem to try. Some are pretty open about it. You have, for example, Westboro Baptist Church, who seem to express hatred for everything and everyone. But they're the extreme exception, I agree. Usually it's a far more subtle thing: we gossip, we criticize, we judge. Christians cast aspersions on other Christians because of what they believe or what church they belong to. We act in unloving ways toward our brothers and sisters and neighbours all the time. And when we do that we bring both ourselves and God into disrepute. People who aren't Christians are pretty smart, after all, and they often know how Christians should act better than we Christians do. 1 John 4:20 is more than just a call for us to love - it's a reminder that we dishonour God by failing to love. This isn't talking about a romantic, emotional love - it's love in action; love that gives for the sake of others; sometimes love that costs pretty heavily. If we love God, that's the kind of love our lives should display. Have a great week!