Loving the children of the father

 This week's verses are 1 John 5:1-2:

 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, and everyone who loves the father loves the child fathered by him. By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments. 

 John says several times that he who loves the father loves the children of the father. He is talking about the church. We have been adopted into God's family. We, as Christians, have to love other Christians because it would be unnatural for us not to do so, if we truly love God.

Think about it: If you love someone, but their kids are annoying, do you really hate the kids the way you might hate them if they belonged to someone else? Even if you can find no redeeming qualities in them, you still have something like fondness for them out of respect for the person you love.

We forget sometimes that we belong to God when we put our faith in him. Those annoying people in the church belong to him too. We can't hate them the way we could have hated them if they were not loved so much by God. Our love for God has to be enough to redeem them in our eyes.

If we love God, we do what he says. Obedience to God is also an act of love towards our fellow Christians. When we obey God's will, we become less annoying to them, and less of a burden. Obeying God spares them the caustic side-effects of our sin on the community.

How real is your love? Does it drive you to piety? If not, ask God for greater faith and greater love. True faith is loving God and the Church, and obeying God's commandments.