READ: 1 John 3:14-23
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, that HE WHO LOVETH GOD LOVE HIS BROTHER ALSO.
1 John 4:20-21
If you love the Lord, you will love the brethren. Your love for the people of God is the evidence of your love for God. You cannot see God but you can see your brothers in Christ. The human beings you love are an important test to determine whether you love God or not.
Whom you love and who you show affection for reveals what you love. There are people who love their families very much. There are people who love their sisters’ children above their own children. I know someone who loved his sister’s children so much that he gave away his properties to them.
You must love your spiritual family too. If you love the Lord, you will love your spiritual brothers and sisters.
If you love the Lord, you will lay down your life for the brethren (1 John 3:16). I remember a Christian sister who had a great ministry and several open doors for serving God ahead of her. She fell in love with a man who was already married. Because of her great love for this man, she sacrificed her ministry, her pastor, her children, her husband, her spiritual father, her parents and her closeness to the brethren for this man. She gave up everything so that she could have the love of this man. It is the great sacrifices she made that revealed how much she loved this man. Hereby we perceive love: when someone lays down his life for it.
What do you do for the church? What do you do for Christians? What do you do for people who are washed by the blood of Jesus? If you love the Lord, you will make sacrifices for your brothers and sisters in Christ. You will lay down your life for the brethren.