Sharing from the WORD

1 John 3: 14-15 "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." When I started reading 1 John, it was so easy for me to say, “Nah, I’m not like Cain. I would never kill anyone out of envy.” But as I reflected on my interactions and my relationships with others, I started to question the actual extent to how much I knew of love and  God’s heart. We have a God who loved us dearly despite our own wickedness. A God who dwelled among sinners and healed the broken. God views us as HIS children and desires an intimate relationship with each one of us. For me on the other hand, I’ve struggled just to see my friends succeed. There are times when I secretly wished their failure. There are times that I felt threatened and uncomfortable, because I was no longer the center of the spotlight. In God’s eyes, I am no different from Cain. I am just a murderer as he was for anyone “who hates his brother is a murderer.” I've been really challenged by this passage to reflect, repent, and to learn how to love truly and abundantly. 

It is written in 1 Corinthians 13, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” As a recipient of God’s unending love, I am called to love as God did.There is an absolute need to reevaluate our relationship with one another for it is by this love we have for one other that we pass “out of death” and “into life.” So what is your relationship like with your brothers, sisters, friends, family, leaders, classmates, and strangers? 

From a loving brother in Christ,

Jeff Wang