Jesus taught that God’s requirements for humans could be summarized with two commands.
He said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
“This is the greatest and first commandment.
“And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
“On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22.37-40).
This is a generally accepted truth by people, but it seems to be lacking in practice. A quick search of the Internet provides some answers to why people have such a hard time loving God and other people.
(1) Fear of vulnerability: Many people are afraid of being vulnerable with others, and this can make it difficult to form deep connections and relationships.
(2) Busy lifestyles: Many people today lead busy lifestyles, which can make it challenging to find time for relationships.
(3) Unrealistic expectations: Some people have unrealistic expectations of their partners or of relationships in general, which can lead to disappointment and frustration.
(4) Social media: Social media can make it easy to compare oneself to others and can create feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. It can also lead to mistrust and jealousy in relationships.
(5) Lack of trust: Trust is essential for healthy relationships, but many people struggle with trust issues due to past experiences or a lack of trust in themselves.
This is a sample list and I’m sure you can add your ideas to it.
The facts are that God doesn’t want his creation to live with a lack of love. He loves us and wants to bless us with the joy of his love and that of other people.
John has some profound thoughts about how we can be captured by love or increase in it.
God is love.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them (1 John 4.16).
Love is something that God does, but is also something that God is. If God ever stopped being love, he would cease being God as we know him.
When we understand this truth, it helps us to see God as approachable and loving, rather than distant and aloof.
When we abide in love, we are choosing to live in a way that reflects God’s nature.
This means putting others before ourselves and showing kindness, patience, and forgiveness.
By abiding in love, we create an environment where others can experience God’s love through us.
No Fear
Fear can be a powerful hindrance to our love for God and others. Perfect love casts out fear.
The transformational friendship that Jesus gives his followers is an assurance of good standing in God’s judgment.
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love (1 John 4.17-18).
When we allow perfect love to cast out fear, we are free to love without reservation or hesitation. We can trust that God’s love will never fail us, and this gives us the courage to love others well.
We love because God first loved us.
We can love others because God first loved us. When we realize the depth of God’s love for us, we are filled with gratitude and a desire to share that love with others.
We love because he first loved us.
Those who say, “I love God,” and hate a brother or sister are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also (1 John 4.19-21).
The ultimate test of our love for God is how we treat others. If we claim to love God but fail to love our brothers and sisters, we are living a lie.
When we love others well, we are tangibly demonstrating our love for God.
There are many reasons why it is hard to love God and other people. John’s words should encourage us to go to God, to experience his love, and to extend love to others.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I continue our study of 1 John today. Our video can be found on the Bob Spradling YouTube channel.
Real Voices 