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Brotherly Love

by Jerry Ousley  
1/02/2010 / Christian Living

We hear a lot about love these days. People want love, there is no doubt. We need love. But when most people think of love they think about butterflies, flowers and frankly a lot of things that just don't relate to reality. Real love is strong enough and bold enough to tell the person we love when their hair is sticking up, or that their fly is open or that they have mustard on their face. When we ignore these things then we have set the person that we love up for embarrassment. Our son forwarded us an email that fits here. You may have received it yourself but I'd like to share it right now. This was originally about friendship but I guess if we love someone they are our friends. Anyway, the email said, "When you are sad, I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew; when you are blue, I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you; when you smile, I will know that you are plotting something that I must be involved in; when you are scared, we will hightail it out of here; when you are worried, I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining, you big baby! When you are confused, I will use little words; when you are sick, stay away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have. When you fall, I will pick you up and dust you off, after I quit laughing my head off! This is my oath; I pledge it until the end. Why? Because you are my friend."

That may sound a bit harsh but it is reality. Don't we really act that way toward people we really love? I've got a brother-in-law whom I love dearly. He and I have been friends for years. Our wives have often told us that when other people are around us that they probably think we hate each other the way we tease and kid. But folks, that's the farthest thing from the truth. I'd do about anything for him because I love him and he is my friend.

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." We've talked a lot about love. We do so because according to Jesus in John 34, this is the witness to the world that we are His disciples. It is a new commandment given by Jesus Christ. In fact He said that if we love God with everything in us, and our neighbor (which refers to basically anyone we may come into contact with) as ourselves, that we could hang all the law and prophets on this. Think about it; if we have this kind of love we will find ourselves doing the commandments without even thinking about them.

Where does this brotherly love stop? I see no end really. In the New Testament we are told to love God first, love our wives and families, love our neighbors, and even to love our enemies. I think that pretty well covers everybody doesn't it? There is no one that we are not to love. That doesn't mean that we love everything they do. We also have to distinguish a difference between ""love and "like." I learned that from my wife. She was angry with me years ago and told me that she loved me but right then she didn't like me very well. It confused my bb-brain but after I thought about it a bit I knew that she was right. We may not like a person's attitudes and general personality but that doesn't mean that we aren't to love them (and we don't love them just in word).

A man of God I really admire is David Wilkerson, original founder of Teen Challenge. He put his life on the line many years ago on the streets of New York City. He went to the street gangs and told those young men and women about the love of God. His life was threatened but he knew God had told him to be there. He said, "It takes real guts to lay aside our differences and love each other." How much gut do you have? How much gut do I have? Can we be strong enough to stand in the Lord, lay aside our differences and love others to the point that we care that a mosquito has landed on them and let them know about it? Do we care enough to put ourselves and our reputations in jeopardy to help them?

Most natural brothers fight and bicker with each other, at least when they are kids. My brothers and I were no different. But we loved each other and stood up for each other. It is no different when it comes to brotherly love.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of "Soul Challenge", "Soul Journey", "Ordeal", "The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional" and his first novel "The Shoe Tree." Newer books include "Finality" and "Dividing God's Church." Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge

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