Love God, Love Your Brother

"Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.” 1 John 4:19

When we were young, my brother Robert and my sister Tina were always quarreling. Robert would sometimes maltreat Tina and annoy her endlessly. Then my mom read the passage in 1 John 4:19-21 to them. It reads, "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."

From that time on, we were all amazed, because they became the best of friends! Truly, the Word of God is alive! In Isaiah 55:11, we read that when God sends out His Word, it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all He wants it to, and it will prosper everywhere He sends it. (New Living Translation) 

Is there someone we can’t forgive? Someone we detest? There’s a saying which goes, “Not forgiving someone is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.” With the new year, let’s try to expose and clean up the old wounds. Allow God and His Word accomplish what He said He will do.