As a Christian, reading the Bible regularly is one of my weaknesses - that is to say, I don't do it as often as I probably should. Recently, however, I felt compelled to start reading the book of James, and almost every day since then I have read at least a chapter or two moving forward from there. This morning I read 1 John chapter 4, and it reinforced what God has been saying to me through the last few books (James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John), which is this:
If we truly believe that God loves us, our reciprocation should be not only to Him but also to our fellow man¹. If we do not have love for the humans around us who have been made in God's image (hint: this is everybody), then we do not have love for God. Our love for others should be a reflection of God's love for us, and He loves us unconditionally.
There are a bunch of verses that talk about this, but I'll just include the last one I read today, which was 1 John 4:21:
And this commandment we have from [God]: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
There are all kinds of current events this could be applied to, but I don't really want to get on a soapbox, so I'm going to leave it at that. God loves all of us more profoundly and more deeply than we can possibly comprehend, and our response should be one of praise, gratitude, and a love for God so boundless that it spills over into unmitigated love for one another.
¹yes, as in 'mankind.' Yes, that includes all of humanity. You know what I meant, no need to fuss about it.