I have some acquaintances who did some very heroic things. They put their own lives on the line to save other people. Some did it in a combat zone. Some did it here at home. We see a story about a passerby reaching into a burning vehicle to rescue the trapped passenger and ending up with severe burns themselves, but saving a life. Our fire fighter’s job is about walking into danger to save others and they do it every day. The police who walk up to a stopped vehicle or domestic dispute never knowing if this is the time the gunfire will erupt.
There are some organizations that try to honor the heroes of our society, especially those who have been wounded fighting our nation’s battles. My hat goes off to them. They took the fight away from our shores, giving us the ability to sleep safely at night, shop in our malls, and worship in our churches. If the battle had not been pushed over there, the Boston Marathon bombings would be a frequent occurrence here, just like it is over there even today.
But how do we say thank you in a tangible way to those who have given so much? And how do we say think you to the LORD who offers us freedom from the sin that traps and entangles us?
John in our text for today tells us how we should respond to the LORD’s love for us. He says that we should love one another. Our response to His love should be our love. He loves us so we should love one another. John is beginning to sound like a broken record, isn’t he! This must be really important for Him to repeat it so often in this short letter. The original readers of this letter must have needed this encouragement in the middle of their struggles for the faith. They were being wooed by a false teaching that must have deemphasized the importance of community. I think that is why John is so insistent about this point. We must love each other.
So, are there fellow Jesus-followers with whom you have a dispute? Have you allowed a petty offense to stop you from demonstrating the same kind of love that Jesus showed to us? This lack of love gets in the way of the Gospel. Non-believers see this lack of love and point their fingers and make excuses.
The motivation to love each other comes from looking at the extent of God’s love demonstrated in Jesus’ atoning death. He gave it all for us. We should do the same for each other. We can’t do less.
The Arnold Journey 