I've been thinking a lot lately about the issue of brotherly love. It has been quite convicting to think of how we are sometimes so inept when it comes to the greatest of Christian graces.
Christ saved us in such an awesome display of love and humility. It amazes me to think about the depth of His love toward such miserable sinners as we were. We were hate-filled liars at best and Christ came and rescued us with such indescribable, overflowing amounts of kindness, grace and love! Praise our wonderful Savior!
I've been continually asking myself something lately and it has been humbling.
What would it look like if we laid aside all our pride and truly loved? What if we loved like Christ?
"...have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself..."
"Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart."
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God."
"...and if I do not have love it profits me nothing"
Love toward God and toward man is the fruit of a life changed and the summary of the law. It is, simply put, the Christian attitude and outlook.
It is sad to see Christian men and women bite and devour one another not only in their words, but in their actions and thoughts. I think we are all guilty here. There are several times where I have caught myself grumbling inwardly about "so and so" who always is so (fill in the blank).
At the same time though I can't help but ask myself, "Why, is this happening so often among Christians?" We will spend an eternity together with these brethren. We can disagree now but bitterness, unkind thoughts and motives have no place in the heart of a believer.
The reality is that the American culture promotes and encourages self-love and places a high value on our individual "rights". Christianity, on the other hand, is quite opposite to this and says: "We have no rights but death and hell!" and "We love others more than ourselves!"
One of the best books I have ever read on this topic is Charity and It's Fruits by Jonathan Edwards. It's one of my favorite books and will really challenge your love to the lost and your brothers and sisters in Christ. Each chapter takes a few verses from 1 Corinthians. 13.
Spurgeon also put it well:
I wish, brothers and sisters, that we could all imitate "the pearl oyster"—A hurtful particle intrudes itself into its shell, and this vexes and grieves it. It cannot reject the evil, but what does it do but "cover" it with a precious substance extracted out of its own life, by which it turns the intruder into a pearl! Oh, that we could do so with the provocations we receive from our fellow Christians, so that pearls of patience, gentleness, and forgiveness might be bred within us by that which otherwise would have harmed us.
—Charles Spurgeon
What a heaven on earth we could have if we just cultivated Christ's love and let it flow through us more readily toward all men! Praying that our love would abound still more and more.
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