Sep 28 – Love One Another!

“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another.” (Romans 12:10)

There were two brothers in the land of Israel. The elder brother was married and had a wife and children, while the younger brother was unmarried. Both of them harvested wheat and stored their grain in their respective granaries. One night, neither of them could sleep.

The elder brother thought to himself, “Poor brother of mine! He is unmarried. I have two children, and all of us work together. Let my younger brother be well provided for.” So, during the night, he took a sheaf of grain from his own granary, carried it to his brother’s granary, and quietly left it there.

That very same night, the younger brother also got up and thought, “My poor elder brother! He has two children to care for. How difficult it must be for him to provide for such a large family.” So he took a large sheaf of grain from his own granary and placed it in his brother’s.

This continued for many nights. Each brother, out of love and concern for the other, would quietly carry grain and other provisions to his brother’s granary.

One night, as they were both carrying grain to one another, they met unexpectedly. The younger brother embraced his elder brother and said, “Brother, I was bringing this for you.” The elder brother embraced his younger brother and replied, “My dear brother, I was bringing this for you. I love you very much.” The two brothers embraced one another and wept.

It is said that the Lord looked upon them and said, “Upon the foundation of such brotherly love among My children, I desire to have a dwelling place.”

Dear children of God, let the character of Christ be formed in you. Just as Christ is kind, compassionate and forgiving, forgive others wholeheartedly.

“Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another…” (Colossians 3:13) And above all, put on love: “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” (Colossians 3:14)

God is love. Since you are children of Jesus Christ, who is love, you must clothe yourselves with His divine love.

What benefit is there in saying, “I have received the anointing; I have been baptized; I am going to heaven,” if there is no love in your heart?

The Apostle Paul makes this unmistakably clear in 1 Corinthians 13. Even if a person speaks with remarkable spiritual gifts, possesses prophetic insight, understands mysteries and has great faith, without love, all of it amounts to nothing. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass…” (1 Corinthians 13:1)

Because God has loved us so greatly, we are debtors to love one another. Let the love of Christ be the bond that unites us, the grace that enables us to forgive, and the fragrance of His presence wherever we go.

Verse for further meditation: “If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:11)