Love In The Hostile Community
Text: John 13: 34
“A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, that ye also love one another.”
SEGREGATION, tribalism and ethnic clashes are rampart in our society today. We are divided than ever before. The love is overtaken by hatred. Individualism is being promoted over collective responsibility and peaceful co- existence. Jesus admonished His disciples on the need to love, even when the songs of the day is hatred. Disciples were faced with persecution and rejection as a result of their faith from the Roman Government, but Jesus preaches love and peace and encouraged them to love one another. This is not a denominational or ethnicity love; rather loves without border.
• Love in the hostile community calls for divine encounter with Jesus: The natural human being can’t love where hatred is promoted. We need to understand that God is love and if the nature of God is in us as His children, to exhibit love won’t be difficult. It is the Spirit of love that flows through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that will drive us on how to love others without any discrimination. • Love in the hostile community comes as a result of our fellowship with God: To fellowship with God is to walk in
God’s Realm. We must walk in love, for God is love, this is not natural but divine. Why killings, kidnappings and sectional fight today? It is because our fellowship with God is shallow. Regardless of your religious background, we must value life. All ministers of God should say it louder than before that love is fading away from our community, and if we claimed we have fellowship with Him, the fruit of the Spirit as stated by Paul in Galatians 5: 22- 23 must manifest in us. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…”
• Love in the hostile community results in peaceful co- existence: Paul says, “While we were the enemies of God…” ( Col. 1: 21).
We live in the community where we wrong one another. We offend our neighbours without readiness to accept our wrongs. But when divine love is in our lives, we overlook the wrongs of others. God didn’t take account of the evil done to Him. He loved us and sent Jesus to redeem us. He loved us while we were yet sinners ( Rom. 5: 5)
As you are going out this week under the grace of God, live in love, talk about love and promote love.
Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Ojo, Christ the Rock Baptist Church, Mende, Maryland, Lagos ( The Glorious Church) Whatsapp: 2348034538413 Email: emmanuelakanji@ ymail. co m