LOVE FOR ALL

I John 2:9 If anyone says, "I am living in the light," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness.

It is not possible to love the Lord and not love His children.　 Let us stop for a moment and think about this.　 Think about those who are a part of the church that you have strong disagreements with because they don’t believe as you do.　 Think about how you feel about them.　 It’s easy to sit back and judge them because they don’t see "the light" in the same way you do.　 It is easy to question whether or not they are even saved.　 We develop strong feelings about those who are not walking in the light as we are walking in the light.

Yet, the Word teaches us that if we are living in the light, we will embrace all who are believers in Christ.　 We may not understand their thinking or approve of their living, but that doesn’t get us off the hook.　 Our responsibility before God is to love all those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ.　 We don’t always know for sure who are saved, but it really doesn’t matter.　 We are to be channels of God’s love to the church and world.　 Godly love should define who we are.　 It should be evident in all we do and say.　 We are to live out godly love and let the Lord deal with the rest.　 God is love and as His children, we inherit His love.

If we let our differences alienate ourselves from other parts of the body of Christ, we are living in darkness and not the light.　 Something to think about as you think about your attitude towards those who you don’t know or understand within the body of Christ. And, it's something to think about when you consider your attitude and feelings towards those within the church who you have problems with, those who may have wronged you and caused you grief and pain. To love God is to love others. Godly love is not selective love; we are to be vessels of love to all because God loves us and everyone else, too.