It is nothing new

Some people today insist that the way they treat their fellow people has no bearing on their relationship with God. There is something seriously wrong with this attitude. How we treat others is directly related to our relationship with our Father in heaven.

John, the apostle wrote that “if someone says. ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also,” (I John 4:20-21). I realize this is hard for people to accept. After all, it is easy to love a family member and hate someone who is not. I am not saying this is right. My point is that it is easy and sometimes even tempting to justify hating those who are distant or different from us..

John clearly teaches that this concept goes beyond our earthly relationships. To have fellowship with our God, we MUST comply with His desires by walking in the light (I John 1:3-7). Because our relationship with our Creator is directly related to our relationships with others, we must pay attention to how we treat everyone.

It might seem odd that I could miss heaven because I did not treat someone the way the Lord wanted me to. This lesson can be easier to understand if we use an earthly example. It is understandable for a wife to be upset with her husband if he wants nothing to do with her parents. He might tell her, “Honey I love you, but I just do not care for them.” Is she happy with that? Of course not.

The two greatest commands for Christians are “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…and, love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:37, 39). It is easy to see how all Christian commands can be accomplished by first following these two. May we all remember that we show our God how much we love Him by also loving man in the way He has instructed us to.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Chuck