BRETHREN, no one born of God commits sin; for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not wonder, brethren, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if any one has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask.
How important it is to love not in words but in actions. The Apostle John knew this well and he tells his spiritual children to "not love in word or speech, but in deed and in truth." This is similar to the Apostle James, my patron Saint, who admonishes us to put our words into actions. If we see a brother who is hungry and just say God bless you but don't do anything for him, then our words are empty.
Indeed, how can the Love of God abide in me, if I close my heart to my brother? Surely, to do so would lead me to feel that "our hearts condemn us." and wouldn't that be true? Can I really say I love God but do nothing for the one who is made in His Image?
O Lord, God of Love because You are Love, help me to love my brother this day in action and not in words.Amen
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