Brotherly Love!

Jesus said in John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:9 “But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.” Now brotherly love I believe should be very evident in a Christian’s life. One thing I have noticed as a Christian that many times this becomes neglected. We may love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we may even pray for them at times. However sometimes I believe we can get caught up in our own lives that we fail to notice or give time to a brother or sister in need. I will admit, it is very easy to become distracted by other things that we neglect loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.Paul also wrote in Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.In this verse Paul tells us to bear one another’s burdens, this can be a hard thing to do at times. Mainly, because Christians can sometimes keep things to themselves and not share their struggles with another brother in Christ.For example if a brother struggling with a sin in their life and want to share it with someone, most of the time they will not, because they fear others knowing their sin and don’t want to be looked down upon or having it spread throughout the Church.Another example could be that maybe you have taken your struggle to another person, a pastor of brother in Christ and afterward you have felt coldness from that person.  That’s why it is very important to have a brother or sister in Christ you can trust and share with in times of struggles with sin. Someone you know will be there for you and pray with you to help you deal with the sin and by God’s Grace overcome the sin. Remember Christ said they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another, let us love the way Christ loved us, sacrificially! Take time to pray for and love a brother or sister in Christ, we all need it times and believe me it will be just a beneficial to you and it will be to them.
By Ricky Gantz