Loving Your Brother…
Wednesday’s Verses:
From 1 John 4:20-21 ESV
“If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
No matter the situation, at one time in your life, your brother has driven you to say words you’ve probably regretted. “I hate him.” It happens, and probably more than once. That’s why the words of Saint John sting a little bit, don’t they?
“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar…And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
Saint John does not speak in the abstract. He is talking about flesh-and-blood people with whom we share relationships. Relationships that break down. People we know. Brothers. Sisters. Sinful, fiery words that cannot be taken back.
We have said them. We have hated our brother in our hearts. We have loved God, truly loved God, and still have failed.
That is why these verses are painful. They shine a light on us in a way that leaves nowhere to hide. It reveals the lie that we try so hard to tell ourselves. That our relationship with Christ has nothing to do with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Lutherans understand this. The Law convicts us. When we lash out in anger and say words that wound our brother, the Law declares those words sin. Fierce words. Angry words. Hurtful words. Sin.
It hurts to hear the Law talk like that, but for a reason: it’s true!
But the Law is not the end of the story.
Jesus commanded us to love our brothers. Before we loved our brother, Jesus loved us. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He did not wait for our lives to be righteous. He went to the cross, forgiving angry words and rejection while they were still on our lips.
His forgiveness of us is sure. Declared over you in baptism. Declared over you again in absolution. Declared over you here in this very Gospel. Your sin-riddled past does not have the final word on your life. Jesus does.
Forgiven, you return to your relationships and your brothers and sisters. Forgiveness does not mean that the pain goes away instantly. It does not mean that your emotions will perfectly align with love. But grace means that you can go back repentant when you blow it. Humbler in how you speak. Eager to pray when love is nowhere to be found.
And when you blow it again, you come back to Jesus. Back to the cross and his forgiving love.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, You know every hurt I’ve felt and every angry word I’ve spoken. I don’t try to excuse my sin before You. Thank You for forgiving me by Your cross. Shape my heart by your mercy, and teach me to love my brother not by my own strength, but by yours. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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