1 John 2:9-11

“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”

In these verses John reveals the new commandment that had been implied in previous verses. His statement is direct, if you have hatred in your heart for fellow Christians you are walking in darkness. Now does this mean that we are going to madly love every Christian we meet, or that we are not going to have dislike for someone? No, but we do need to practice love to everyone. We should not be treating others as irritants, outsiders, enemies, or competitors. Sometimes love does not come easily, it is something that we need to practice, we can choose to be concerned with people’s wellbeing and treat them with respect. This is whether we feel affection for them or not. As we move forward in expressing our love, our attitudes will change. Have you ever felt like an outsider?

Dear God, help me to not struggle with loving others. Give me wisdom and strength to show your love to all people. Thank you that even though I struggle with this you do not turn your back on me. Help me to continue to grow in this aspect of your commandments. Thank you for being merciful. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.