Day 17 A Portrait of Brotherly Love

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” Romans 12:9-13

Several years ago when I moved back to Arizona my dad was getting ready to retire from his job as a business developer for a title company. One day he invited me to meet with the president of the company. After our meeting he offered me my dad’s job when he retired. I knew nothing about the title business and made that fact known. Both the president and my dad told me I didn’t need to know the title business; I just needed to know how to relate to people. With that information I gladly accepted the job because that is one of my strengths.

For the first few weeks my dad took me on his route and introduced me to his customers. I was amazed at how he interacted with them! He was known as “The Candy Man” because he carried a brief case full of goodies into every office he visited. On our trip to the store to replenish the supply one day he told me what each client liked, telling me that people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. He literally remembered every person’s favorite treat.

After my training period was through I took over the routes and began to form my own relationships with the customers. Over and over again I would sit with them and they would tell me stories about my dad and how kind he was. They said he remembered birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. He also made them feel important by the amount of time he would spend just talking to them about life. When my dad died from cancer a year later the outpouring of love and support that came from those customers was overwhelming! His love and kindness had made a lasting impression on those people’s lives and they wanted me to know it!

My dad was never a religious man and in fact, he didn’t even give his heart to Christ until later in life. But to me, in some ways, my dad was more Godly than most men I have known. He showed brotherly love and kindness to the people in his life and he showed hospitality by opening up the family home to people on holidays, who didn’t have family in town. His example of love for others made a huge impression on me over the years!

Growing up my dad never taught me a Bible verse, didn’t take me to church, and never took the Spiritual role in our family. But I can honestly say that he taught me more about the character of God through teaching me how to love, than any formal training he could have given me. He fulfilled John 13:34 where Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” This is the most important commandment that best represents the character of Christ!

I believe too many people get caught up in trying to fulfill the old laws of the Scriptures that they never fulfill the most important one! Love one another! It is one thing to call ourselves a Christian (one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ) and another thing to portray the character of Christ.

I want to encourage you to spend time with God in the Word and in prayer asking Him to reveal if you are fulfilling John 13:34 and Romans 12:9-13. This is an area we need to focus on daily in order to become true representatives of the Prince of Peace! Join me in making the decision to focus on becoming a person who reflects the character of Christ more than just a person who professes belief in Him. If we will all do this on a daily basis, the world will take notice, and we will leave a lasting impression on the lives of the people we touch every day, just like my dad did.

Prayer: I desire to portray the attributes of Christ in my daily life and I believe by faith, that as I meditate in your Word and in prayer, I will. I believe by faith that as I begin to follow the most important commandment and begin to love others as you have loved me, I will see my life and the lives of those around me change! I choose today by faith, to set aside my adherence to the laws that separate brothers because of our differences, and instead, follow the law of love that binds our hearts together! Amen.