Today God reminded me of the importance of brotherly and sisterly love. My sister is going thru a terrible time at the moment due to a divorce that is no fault of her own. I find it easy to show my love and affection for her, but I struggle with showing love for the father of her children. I know I have to love him, but it’s tough. Sometimes I think it would be easier to hate, but that’s a lie of the enemy. Hatred serves to do nothing but make us bitter. It causes us to expend valuable energy and time on things that have no eternal value. And it takes our focus off of glorifying God as our first priority. Too many wrongs have been caused as a result of hatred. In fact, I doubt there is anything wrong in the world today that could not have been prevented thru the power of love.
1 John 2:7-10 says, “Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning... Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. Whoever hates his brother walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him."Huey Louis sang a song that went like this: “The power of love is a curious thing, make a one man weep, make another man sing; Change a hawk to a little white dove; more than a feeling, that's the power of love…”
Words have been written; songs have been sung; many a dream has hung on the ideal of love; but seldom does it truly guide our actions. We live in a ‘dog eat dog’ society where every person is out for himself. People are suspicious, vindictive, and self-centered. They aren’t fond of anyone who appears to take advantage of their ‘space’. And I’ve found this to be equally true in the world as well as in the church. Too many folks have lost their purpose in the fray of bitterness and unforgiveness. But is that truly the character of Christ? I don’t think so.
I read a story the other day about a man from Chicago named Michael Zwick. One day Mr. Zwick’s neighbor put up a new fence that he wasn’t particularly fond of. But there weren’t any zoning laws to prevent the neighbor from building the fence so she had every right to put it up. A few days later, the neighbor asked Mr. Zwick to please stop putting his recycling bins on the public area in front of her house because they were killing the grass. He ignored her request and continued putting his bins there. Not only that, but he began blowing leaves back onto her property, and let weeds in his yard grow a foot high. He then put up a fake security camera and aimed it at her yard. Not knowing it was a fake camera, she bought shades and draperies for her windows to protect her privacy. She then filed a complaint with the city who ruled against Mr. Zwick, ordering him not to put his recycling bins in front of his neighbor’s home. When the article was written, he had continued to defy the ordinance, although he has received 10 citations and paid over $1000.00 in fines – all over a fence he didn’t like and a few recycling bins he refused to put in front of his own house. I assume there are more fines to come unless Mr. Zwick gives in and obeys the law.
Don’t you think all that mess could have been better handled with a little neighborly love? At a minimum Mr. Zwick would have $1000.00 more than he has now. He also might have made a new friend, not to mention the fact that the court system wouldn’t have been tied up in another frivolous lawsuit. It’s amazing how hatred and anger will cloud your vision. It will cause you to get your ‘shorts in a wad’ over something ridiculous and in the end, what does it accomplish? All you do is make yourself miserable and cost yourself time, energy, and in this case, money. That’s the dark world of a life that lacks love.
And the sad thing is, there are some Mr. Zwicks in the church. You’ve seen them before. They have all the religious talk down pat… but their lives aren’t a reflection of the love of Christ. Sometimes we judge one another in this manner. We see or hear about a brother or sister that is going thru a tough time and we immediately jump to conclusions. Before you know it, we’ve stirred up a cauldron of half truths and suggestions that is so far removed from the truth that it’s pitiful… And it certainly isn’t something that has been inspired by loving and encouraging motives. Don’t waste the precious time you have chasing after actions that stir up hate and cause bitterness. Learn to forgive, love, and honor one another… Give your brother the benefit of the doubt and love like Christ loves you – unconditionally. Doesn’t that make more sense? I think so.
Even though I confess that I need God’s patience and strength daily in order to demonstrate love to the father of my nieces and nephews. Lord help me to remember what John also writes, “Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God and those who love are born of God and know God. He that loves not knows not God for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8
1 John 2:7-10 says, “Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning... Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. Whoever hates his brother walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him."Huey Louis sang a song that went like this: “The power of love is a curious thing, make a one man weep, make another man sing; Change a hawk to a little white dove; more than a feeling, that's the power of love…”
Words have been written; songs have been sung; many a dream has hung on the ideal of love; but seldom does it truly guide our actions. We live in a ‘dog eat dog’ society where every person is out for himself. People are suspicious, vindictive, and self-centered. They aren’t fond of anyone who appears to take advantage of their ‘space’. And I’ve found this to be equally true in the world as well as in the church. Too many folks have lost their purpose in the fray of bitterness and unforgiveness. But is that truly the character of Christ? I don’t think so.
I read a story the other day about a man from Chicago named Michael Zwick. One day Mr. Zwick’s neighbor put up a new fence that he wasn’t particularly fond of. But there weren’t any zoning laws to prevent the neighbor from building the fence so she had every right to put it up. A few days later, the neighbor asked Mr. Zwick to please stop putting his recycling bins on the public area in front of her house because they were killing the grass. He ignored her request and continued putting his bins there. Not only that, but he began blowing leaves back onto her property, and let weeds in his yard grow a foot high. He then put up a fake security camera and aimed it at her yard. Not knowing it was a fake camera, she bought shades and draperies for her windows to protect her privacy. She then filed a complaint with the city who ruled against Mr. Zwick, ordering him not to put his recycling bins in front of his neighbor’s home. When the article was written, he had continued to defy the ordinance, although he has received 10 citations and paid over $1000.00 in fines – all over a fence he didn’t like and a few recycling bins he refused to put in front of his own house. I assume there are more fines to come unless Mr. Zwick gives in and obeys the law.
Don’t you think all that mess could have been better handled with a little neighborly love? At a minimum Mr. Zwick would have $1000.00 more than he has now. He also might have made a new friend, not to mention the fact that the court system wouldn’t have been tied up in another frivolous lawsuit. It’s amazing how hatred and anger will cloud your vision. It will cause you to get your ‘shorts in a wad’ over something ridiculous and in the end, what does it accomplish? All you do is make yourself miserable and cost yourself time, energy, and in this case, money. That’s the dark world of a life that lacks love.
And the sad thing is, there are some Mr. Zwicks in the church. You’ve seen them before. They have all the religious talk down pat… but their lives aren’t a reflection of the love of Christ. Sometimes we judge one another in this manner. We see or hear about a brother or sister that is going thru a tough time and we immediately jump to conclusions. Before you know it, we’ve stirred up a cauldron of half truths and suggestions that is so far removed from the truth that it’s pitiful… And it certainly isn’t something that has been inspired by loving and encouraging motives. Don’t waste the precious time you have chasing after actions that stir up hate and cause bitterness. Learn to forgive, love, and honor one another… Give your brother the benefit of the doubt and love like Christ loves you – unconditionally. Doesn’t that make more sense? I think so.
Even though I confess that I need God’s patience and strength daily in order to demonstrate love to the father of my nieces and nephews. Lord help me to remember what John also writes, “Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God and those who love are born of God and know God. He that loves not knows not God for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8
