The Scriptures instruct us clearly: let brotherly love continue. It sounds simple in theory, but it is often one of the hardest commandments to keep in practice.
What happens when you are repaid with a "bad coin" for being good? When your kindness is met with betrayal, the natural, human question arises: Should we really continue to show love?
"After caring for her welfare and upkeep for six months, she came for my life and happiness," Dorcas shared, her voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief and pain. "Is it a crime to show brotherly love?"
I remained quiet. The weight of her pain filled the room. As I reflected on her situation, I asked myself a question that many believers wrestle with in the dark: "Should brotherly love continue when it hurts?"
Her Show of Brotherly Love
Dorcas was known by everyone as a "Mother in Israel," a generous and kind-hearted woman who always had an open door. Under these charitable circumstances, she took it upon herself to house her old-time friend, Emem.
Emem had fallen on hard times. Her joblessness had spiraled into an inability to pay bills, leading to desperation. Dorcas didn't just offer a couch for a night; her benevolence afforded Emem free shelter, home-cooked food, and even clothing for months on end. It was a pure demonstration of the command to let brotherly love continue.
The Betrayal: A Concealed Intent
After six months of living cost-free, something shifted. Instead of gratitude, Emem began to conceal evil in her heart toward her benefactor.
"Since she has given me everything I asked for, I will take her joy as well," Emem allegedly plotted in secret.
Two months later, the atmosphere in Dorcas's home changed. Dorcas began experiencing unnecessary and strange issues with her loving husband. He became irritable and distant, eventually insisting that Emem should leave the house immediately. It was only later that Dorcas discovered the truth: the friend she was nursing back to health was actively trying to destroy her marriage and take over her home.
"The moment I realized it, I had to send her out of my house. I was devastated. I have decided never to help anyone again!" Dorcas declared, wiping a tear.
"But Pastor," she continued, "didn't the Bible say we should love one another? Why is this happening to me? All I did was show Emem how much I care. Is this how I get paid for my benevolence?"
Answering the Hard Question: Should This Love Continue?
I couldn't undo the betrayal she suffered, nor could I dismiss her pain. It is a terrible thing to be bitten by the hand you feed. However, we must look to the ultimate standard of our lives.
Do you remember what the Scripture demands from us, even in the face of persecution? It demands that we let brotherly love continue.
| "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another." (Romans 12:10) |
Therefore, should we let brotherly love continue? Yes.
No matter what people do to us in exchange for our goodness, we must never let their darkness dim our light. We should never let the actions of others transform us into the very thing we despise. If we stop loving, we hand the enemy a victory.
Remember the saying, "Two wrongs can't make a right." In the same way, two hatreds cannot build a home. Imagine how terrible the world would be if every act of betrayal was met with equal retaliation. The cycle would never end.
The Reason Why Brotherly Love Must Continue
Truth be told, the world cannot survive without brotherly love. When we speak of brotherly love (translated from the Greek word Philadelphia), we are referring to treating others like family; caring for them, supporting them, and forgiving them.
| "But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another." (1 Thessalonians 4:9) |
God loves us and commands us to do the same to one another. This is not a suggestion; it is a mandate. God's love for mankind reveals the vital importance of this virtue.
Consider this: we have all wronged God. We have disobeyed His bidding and ignored His laws. Yet, He does not shut His door on us.
Love is a Risk worth Taking
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
This is the crux of the matter. Just as our sins couldn't change God's nature, we shouldn't allow other people's sins to change our nature.
Does this mean we let people abuse us? No. Dorcas was right to ask Emem to leave; we must guard our hearts and homes. But we must not close our hearts to the next person who needs help.
This may look impossible to man, but with God, nothing shall be impossible.
Therefore, beloved brothers, sisters, friends, and families: Let brotherly love continue. Do not let one bad experience rob you of your reward.
| "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Hebrews 13:2) |
Take note of the "some" who entertained angels. Never let the actions of the "rest" cause you to delete your name from the list of the blessed. Keep loving, keep giving, and let God be your rewarder.
