Lessons from the Heart
Love one another
By Pastor Dan Butcher

Dan Butcher is pastor at Crossroads Community Christian Church, Bringhhurst.

My brother and I were sitting on the opposite ends of the couch. I can't remember what we had been fighting about, I just remember that we had been fighting and it must have been bad because we were sitting there waiting for my dad to come home. Man, I hated to wait for dad to get home. When you were in trouble, time didn't pass very quickly. In fact, it seemed to last forever, "wait for your dad to get home."

When my father would get home, I knew that there would be real trouble. I might get a spanking. I would get a lecture, for sure - all because of my brother. Funny, I bet my brother was thinking about the same thing. The longer we sat there, the more I would blame him. Mind you, most often I couldn't remember why by the time dad got home. I just knew I was mad.

This is God's command that you love one another. Wow, not even a choice! It's a command. "Love one another. (1 John 3:11)

Don't you hate it when you can't even argue?

"But, "I don't want to love." "I don't feel like loving."

This is my commandment that you love one another.

Sheeezzz. Dad would enter. He would be hungry and tired. Dinner would always be on and the house smelled like family. Dad would look at my brother and me in the now darkening living room. He would ask, "Are you over it?"

I would reply, "I'm hungry."

My brother would say, "Mom overreacted."

Dad would say, "Tell each other you're sorry and let's go eat. I'm starving and I've got some pretty good stories to tell you at dinner."

I loved my brother. Dad would not have understood it if we didn't love one another. It wasn't a choice, he was my brother.

Brothers and sisters, you can choose to spend time in anger or hate with another Christian, no matter how you go to trying to explain how right you are. When God does call us home, and He asks us if we are over it, I assure you, we will be. For when we are with the Father, we will forget our vain and trivial arguments. Like it or not, it's a command to love one another.