Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, July 18, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
“But who is my brother or sister?” (to paraphrase the lawyer who tested Jesus in Luke 10:29). It’s too easy to limit the call to love in the “action” sense of the word to those we, frankly, already love in the “feeling” sense of the word. I have no problem being of service, even sacrificial service, to my kids or my friends. But how good am I at stepping outside of my comfort zone to act in love for someone I don’t really care for. Maybe they drive me a little nuts or they’ve been mean to me or they don’t share my political or religious views. Can I be of ungrudging love and service to “them?”
The writer of 1 John’s words are harsh and direct. If I find someone unworthy of an expression of love, can I say I love God? If, as I’ve been saying in the past few days, God is love and we are created in God’s image to be love, how can we possibly justify treating another human being with anything less?
Just as with responding to fear, this is not easy. It’s not black and white. Because while we are created to be love in God’s image, we are also still human beings, products of our genetics, our environment, our social systems, our survival instincts, etc. and these things can make us lose sight of who we really are. God still loves us no matter what, and because of this, we can keep trying without the harsh self-condemnation that if we mess up even once we are “liars” and don’t love God.
Do I beat myself up when I fail to live up to my own ideals for loving others? How do I deal with my own backlash?
