‘This is how we know what love is: Jesus laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?’ (1 John 3:16–17, NIV)

You don’t get to choose who your brother or sister is going to be (that’s God’s job), but being a part of the same family is what brings you together. The same is true in the family of God, which is what this week’s verse is talking about. We don’t choose who is a part of the family of God, but we are asked to love each other because we are in this together.

It can be a whole lot easier to love people we like. It’s natural for our hearts to hurt when we see someone going through difficult things. It is a lot harder to love a person who annoys us at church or who we don’t agree with.

But that is what God wants from us. We can’t pick and choose when we show God’s love, in fact, it can reveal to us how our relationship with God is going.

• If the presence of God’s love in my life shows how my relationship with him is going, how much love do I have—for God, for my brothers and sisters and for our mission together in the world?
• How do I show love in action?

This week, encourage someone in your corps or community. It could be letting someone know something you appreciate about them, sending an encouraging message, writing a thank you card to someone or helping them with something practical.

God, thank you for putting me in your family. I pray that you would help me to love those around me and encourage them. God, help me to love people in all situations I am in. Amen.