whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother…We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 1 John 3:10b, 14

Our text likens not loving my brother to doing unrighteousness and abiding in death. These are frightening words not to be ignored. Having come this far, can we afford to be like the nameless rich man in the story of Luke 16:19-31, knowing his end?

Wrapped in our world and blinded by our pursuits, unable to recognise our duty of love towards the closest of our neighbour or companion in the journey of life; filling the simplest of their needs! How can we explain this before God who we claim to love?

Like the Pharisee seeking to justify his insistence on self-centredness, we ask, Who is my neighbour in the journey of life? How many people can I really love in the manner demanded by the harshness of the times? Examine closely the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37. To save a life, he abandoned the cultural and religious prejudices, going as far as giving up the comfort of riding his beast, and was willing to spend until life was restored. He never considered how the wounded man got into the situation. Where mercy and truth prevails, there is no grading of performance neither is there time for probing questions; loyal love and steadfast faithfulness of heart fills the need of the moment!

Beloved, **Love is not just a noun, not what you think or feel, but like a verb, what you do.

When Mother Teresa arrived in Calcutta in 1948, one of the first things she did was pick up five abandoned children and bring them to her ‘school’. Before the year ended she had forty-one students learning about hygiene in her classroom, which was in a public park. Soon her work became known as ‘The Missionaries of Charity’. Within two years their attention was turned to the care of the dying, and a beggar found dying on a rubbish heap was picked up and brought to her. Hunger and suffering had reduced him to a virtual skeleton. Mother Teresa took him home and put him in bed. When she tried to wash him, she discovered that his body was covered with worms. Pieces of skin came off as she bathed him. For a brief moment the man revived. In his semi-conscious state he asked, ‘Why do you do it?’ Mother Teresa responded with two words that were the hallmark of her life: ‘For love!’  Busy person, it’s easy to see people as irritants and inconveniences standing in the way of your getting things done. What’s hard, is to rise above your self-centred feelings and love them. Maybe you think this is no big deal! Think again. The Bible says, ‘Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love’ (vv. 7-8 NKJV)—**Taken from Word For Today

Time to wake up brethren and be like Christ to our brethren. Shalom.

 

Pastor Afolabi Oladele