Brotherly Love
"After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit
with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him
and did not let him return to his father's house. And Jonathan made a covenant
with David because he loved him as himself." - 1 Samuel 18:1-3
In September 1992, Jack Kelley, foreign affairs editor for USA Today, witnessed
firsthand the famine in Somalia. One particular starving boy touched Kelley:
"Our photographer had a grapefruit, which he gave to the boy. The boy was so
weak he didn't have the strength to hold the grapefruit, so we cut it in half
and gave it to him. He picked it up, looked at us as if to say thanks, and began
to walk back towards his village.
We walked behind him in a way that he couldn't see us. When he entered the
village, there on the ground was a little boy who I thought was dead. His eyes
were completely glazed over. It turned out that this was his younger brother.
The older brother kneeled down next to his younger brother, bit off a piece of
the grapefruit, and chewed it. Then he opened up his younger brother's mouth,
put the grapefruit in, and worked his brother's jaw up and down. We learned that
the older brother had been doing that for the younger brother for two weeks.
A couple days later the older brother died of malnutrition, and the younger
brother lived. I remember driving home that night thinking, I wonder if this is
what Jesus meant when he said, 'There is no greater love than to lay down our
life for somebody else.'"
Do you love others as yourself? Today in prayer, thank Christ for the love that
He has for you and seek to love others as yourself.
"I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no more
hurt, but only more love." - Mother Teresa
God's Word: "And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" -
Matthew 22:39
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2002, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN 1&2 SAMUEL, 1&2
KINGS, AND 1&2 CHRONICLES
pkennedy@devotional.com