"... See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently" 1 Peter 1:22
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The second commandment, according to the Lord is that we should love one another as we love our own selves.
"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. " Matthew 5:44
It's easy to keep that first commandment. How can we not love our Father Who does nothing but good unto us? It's that second commandment that can be a little tough at times.
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" 1 John 4:20
As members of one body, we need to love each other and be patient and tolerant of one another. Because we are diverse, it may seem hard to understand how another member behaves. Just because one member may serve the Lord differently than another does not mean that person is wrong. He or she is just different than you.
I'm sorry to say, I have went to the Lord and complained. I've said, "Well, they're sure not perfect." And He responded politely, "Neither are you." I agreed.
Sometimes, I get impatient with people. It seems that they just don't learn things as quickly as they should. What's with that? Are they even trying? And God has said to me, "Be patient with them as I've been patient with you." What could I say? Yes, Lord.
So, don't always be looking for the faults of your church family, or even a neighbor. Love them as Christ loves them. Ask to have the heart of Yeshua for your brethren and for your neighbor. God will answer that prayer. He wants to give us His love. He wants us to love each other fervently. It's His will.
"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." 1 John 5:14-15
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