Love and Light | Recreating Eden

You’ve heard me talk about God dealing with my hard heart toward my younger sister. The hypocrisy and unforgiveness that I held onto in my relationship with her was a burden. He refused to leave unaddressed. I remember the relentless onslaught of people in my life, sermons and teachings I listened to, and the Scriptures He brought to my attention. One of the main texts God used to address my heart was 1 John 4:20, “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

God led me to a fork in the road and called me to task, either I would hold onto my sinful unforgiveness or I would choose to love, by laying down the debt I held against her.

I’ve come to this fork again and again in my life, being faced with the same challenge. God will not allow me or us to say we love Him and refrain from loving others. The choice is ours, to live in His light is to walk in obedience of loving others or to live in the darkness of self deception and refusing to love.

This weekend we will look through the rest of 1 John at God’s command to love one another.

Pastor Matt McCarter