“Seeing that ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.” (I Peter 1:22)
Peter tells us here not just to love the brotherhood, but to love it with fervor.
Later in I Peter 2:17, Peter writes, “Honor all men, love the brotherhood…” A healthy congregation is one that shows love toward one another.
As fellow travelers, making our way to the same destination, we are to lighten each other’s load. We will have the desire to do that because of the love that we have for each other. The love for the brethren is not just that warm feeling that we have when we are worshipping together.
It’s the love that moves us to cook a meal for someone.
It’s the love that constrains us to visit one another when we are ill, or visit with one of each other’s loved ones.
It is the love the causes us to think locally, but act globally when we find a church in need far from us and attempt to meet it.
“Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially to them who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10)
It’s hard to love our neighbors if we don’t love our brothers.
It is nearly impossible to love our enemies if we don’t love our brothers.
Let’s make it a goal to “have sincere love for our brothers, and love one another deeply from the heart.”
