The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both.
1 John 4:21 - MSG
Veteran's Day has just passed, and as a veteran, the annual celebration always manages to bring up memories from my days on active duty in the military. One of the very first things I remember is how very strict our drill instructors were in Basic Training. We learned immediately, what an "order" was. It was a directive that we had to obey. If we didn't, there were consequences. Those commands left no room for debate. The commanding officer gave an order, and my responsibility was not to negotiate, edit, or reinterpret it. The order was simply to be obeyed.
God does that too. He gives us clear, unmistakable commands for us to obey. Look closely at today's verse. Notice that it does not present love as a recommendation, a personality trait, or a spiritual option just for mature Believers. No, it's a command from God Himself for everyone who says they are followers of Jesus.
If we love God, we must also love our brothers and sisters. We must love both. Period. Let that sink in for a moment. God isn't making a suggestion. He's giving us a command.
This command confronts us today. Perhaps we would prefer a love that remains a feeling that appears when others are kind, agreeable, and easy to get along with. Yet God's command reaches beyond our preferences. He calls us to love fellow Believers even when relationships become difficult, misunderstandings arise, or personalities clash.
Our love for God and our love for people cannot be separated. Claiming to love God while refusing to love people is a contradiction. The two are connected. The evidence of our love for God is often seen in how we treat those around us.
Thankfully, God never issues an order without also providing the ability to obey it. The source of Christian love is not human determination. It flows from a heart that has experienced the grace, mercy, patience, and forgiveness of Christ. The more deeply we understand how much we have been loved, the more capable we become of loving others.
This command is not meant to crush us beneath an impossible burden. Instead, it invites us to take part in God's own nature, because God is love. As we abide in Him, love becomes less of a duty and more of a reflection of His life working within us.
Just as those in the military are expected to obey their commanding officers, those who love Christ are called to obey Him. And one of His clearest orders is this: love one another. The Commander has spoken. Love is not optional. Let's choose to obey. Let's choose love.
Prayer
Father, thank You for loving me first when I was undeserving of Your grace. Forgive me for the times I have claimed to love You while resisting Your command to love others. Help me to see fellow Believers through Your eyes and to extend the same patience, mercy, and kindness You have shown me. Let Your love flow through my words, attitudes, and actions today. Teach me to obey Your command joyfully and faithfully as I walk with You.
In Jesus' Name, Amen…
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