Invisible Brother

By Pamela Rose Williams

“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)

Love is a strange thing.  Yet it is also the greatest of things that we receive from God (1 Cor 13:13).  Today’s verse brings out a very interesting point.  How can we love God who is invisible to us and not love our brother that is standing right in front of us in clear view?  How do we love our brother? Jesus spoke of this much while he walked this planet.  He even spoke of how the way we treat our brother is how we actually treat Jesus.  Look at this:

(Mat 25:41-45)  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: [42] For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: [43] I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. [44] Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? [45] Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

There is nothing in the Bible that says we can ever hate our brother.  We are commanded to love them; even when they are our enemy (Matthew 5:43-45).

You feeling the love?

Things to Think about and Do

1. Find another verse in the Bible that talks about how we are to treat one another.

2. Share the love of Christ with someone in a very particular way today.

3. How does God show his love to us?