“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us”. 1 John 3:23
Believing in the name of Jesus Christ seems easy enough for those of us who call ourselves Christians. But, what about the rest of this verse? Love one another? Therein lies the rub. I can love “some” people easily, my husband, my children, my closest friends. But what about those people whom I find “difficult” to love? What about the people who hurt me or are unloving toward me? Is God suggesting that I love THOSE people too?
The Truth is, God is not “suggesting” anything. His Word says, “this is his COMMAND…to love one another…”. If I believe in the name of Jesus and acknowledge him as my Lord and Savior, then I must obey his commands and therefore I must love ALL others. Love is not only a feeling; it is first and foremost a choice.
So, how do we choose to love the difficult people? We remember that God’s Word says, “We love because he first loved us”. God chose to love us even though we ourselves are “difficult” to love. God chose to love us in spite of our sinfulness and disobedience. If we say we believe in God and claim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are compelled to do the same.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Rom 5:8
“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 or 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
WITHDRAW weekly devotional
Author Kami R. Lobner
“Writing has always been a gift to me from God. There is no better avenue for me to communicate the true depths of my inner most thoughts and feelings. I was encouraged by my family and friends to write…anything…but to just write. So, I prayed about what to write and felt a calling to write daily devotionals. God has used my gift to put on paper what His Scripture means to me; my hope is that what I write hits a chord with those who choose to read the devotionals. I often include a short prayer in the devotionals I write. These prayers are meant to encourage and perhaps challenge us to pursue God’s Presence through scripture reading, meditating on God’s Word, bible studies and fellowship with other believers.
God has been good to me and to my family. I sincerely hope something God led me to put on paper provokes a thought in you or perhaps is that “little thing” you were needing to hear. None of these writings are from me, but from God and His gentle guidance to put thought and prayer on paper.
May God truly bless you!”
