The title of today’s blog is came from an email conversation with a friend.
We were discuss about loving others and loving God. I propose the question, can someone love God and not love others? We talk a bit some more..and the phrase, ‘don’t feel like loving others‘ comes up.
Friend replied with a Scripture:
19We love because he first loved us. 20If 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. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:19-21
…on my previous post, Love, Strauch, in his book, Love or Die, described how to love the local church:
By dealing with difficult people, facing painful conflicts, forgiving hurts and injustices, reconciling estranged relationships, and helping needy members, our love is tested and matures.
One simply cannot grow in love without the stresses and strains of life together in the household of God, the local church.
I was joked that a church is not a church unless it has problems. And at times, these problems are painful and emotionally draining.
Last Fri, I was doing a long run in the morning. And I was speaking with God. I can feel I was very frustrated about things. My goal was to run 5 laps around my house. I ended up stopping at two. I couldn’t run no more. It was eating me.
I ended up going home and read the Sermon on the Mount. I am glad God pointed me to this post later that day.
In my midst of seeking God, I forgot about love. I forgot about the grace of God. I am reminded that in order to follow Him, I have to love others. And loving others hurt. It hurts a lot.
