God's Love in Our Relationships
Passage to be read: 1 John 4: 7 - 21
If people say, “I love God,” but hate their brothers or sisters, they are liars.
Those who do not love their brothers and sisters, whom they have seen,
cannot love God, whom they have never seen.
And God gave us this command:
Those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters.
( 1 John 4: 20, 21)
It is a relationship bound by love. It is a relationship that has love as its axis. And this relationship revolves around the expression of love. This is the uniqueness of the relationship between God and us! It is intimate, it is full of understanding and this beautiful relationship is filled with the love that is made stronger day by day, as we pass through every circumstance. The relationship becomes unique as we go through each experience that shows us the power of this love sans frontiers.
We, as ambassadors of this great love, live on this earth so that we could share this love amongst others. God's love should be reflected in our walk, our words and our deeds. Let everything that we do be bound by love, because God has done the same for us. Let everything that elements our relationships with the people around us begin and continue with love. The Bible reinstates again and again, throughout its pages, this amazing love.
The passage that we read above shows us the two sides of the efficiency of this love. Our love on God should be reflected in our love towards the fellow human beings. Our sacrifices for the love of God should also be seen in our sacrifices in our relationships with our loved ones. Only then our love that we proclaim becomes practical. Only then it becomes useful. It is only then that we could reap the fruits of this tree called 'love of God.'
There is a serious question that we need to ponder on; almost a hard hit on our chest! How can we love God whom our human eyes could never see, when we do not love our brothers and sisters (fellow human beings) whom we could see, touch and feel in our daily life. Proclaiming to the entire world that you love God and not showing that love in your relationships makes your whole effort meaningless. And God has given us this command "Those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters" (1 John 4: 21). It is a 'must!' And those who claim the love of God and do not love their brothers and sisters become liars, because they still have not fulfilled an essential part of their relationship with God.
God wants us to be ambassadors of His love in this world. Whatever we enjoy in our relationship with Him should be conveyed in the relationships that we share with the people around us. Whatever uniqueness we enjoy in our relationship with God, let it flow through the relationships we enjoy with people. God gave His everything for the love He had on us. God gave His one and only Son Christ Jesus as a sacrifice for the sake of the love He had on us. And God expects us too to express this Agape love in the little sacrifices we make out of love for others. It could be that extra metres that we walk with that elderly uncle, it could be that umbrella that we could share with someone standing near us in the rain, it could even be that little bun that we have in hand that could be equally shared. This sacrificial love could also be that extra few minutes that we spend in listening to our colleague who wants to share a worry, it could be that thought of praying for them in our time of prayer, it could be the laughter that we share in the midst of people who have almost forgotten to smile and it could also be that little notes from the purse that we could offer to a friend in need even before they request.
God wants us to show His love in this world in such practical ways that the people around us will see God's love reflected on us. Let them feel the warmth and love of God when they are near us. Let their hearts burn with the passion of knowing God more and seeking His love when they enjoy the beautiful relationship with us! I pray that God will lead all of us into such a fruitful life where we become mirrors of His love in this world, in our relationships and in our smallest efforts that we make.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
