Day 257 — Closer to God — 365 Days
Loving Who You Can See
“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?”
1 John 4:20
John is direct. There's no getting around it: if love for God doesn't show up in love for the people around us, something is wrong. The two can't be separated.
It's easy to love God in the abstract. In worship, in prayer, in moments of devotion, when everything is going well. It's harder to love the sister who irritated you last week. The neighbor who makes noise. The coworker who wronged you. The family member who hurt you deeply.
But John says: the test of love for God is exactly there. Not in the beautiful worship songs. In how you treat the person right beside you.
This doesn't have to feel heavy. It's a reminder to look around and ask: am I loving the people I can see? Am I treating people with the same devotion I offer God in moments of prayer?
Love for one's neighbor is worship spilling out beyond the moments of gathered praise. It's the God inside you being found by other people.
Prayer
Father, may my love for You show up in how I treat people. May my worship not stay only between me and You, but overflow into my relationships. Amen.