"And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their
brother and sister." (1 John 4:21, NIV2)
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must
love one another." (John 13:34, NIV2)
One day while walking with my family in Brugge, Belgium, I saw from far off a
beautiful old building. Interested, I went over to explore it. It was built in
1713, and it was called "Godshuis De Vos". Literally translated, "Godshuis"
means "House of God", and "De Vos" was the name of the person who funding the
building's construction.
I discovered that day that this kind of housing can be found not only all over
Brugge, but all over Flanders, the Flemish part of Belgium, as well.
In all reality, these houses could have been called, "Houses for the poor and
the needy", as these complexes were built for the sole purpose of housing people
in need. Rich families of Flemish cities built these houses to help out the
poor, the lonely and needy widows, and the widowers as well. These rich
benefactors loved God, and since Jesus urges all of us to love others as He
loves us, they found that they couldn't do otherwise than to come to the help of
those truly in need. This explains why they are called "House of God"!
This practice began in the 14th century, and the last Godshuis to be built in
Brugge was in the twentieth century. These complexes, consisting of 4 to 24
homes, were all beautifully built, most of them around an inner court where the
inhabitants could cultivate vegetables and obtain water. Most of the housing
complexes also had a chapel, and the inhabitants were encouraged to pray for
their benefactors. I am sure all of them did, as all their needs were provided
for, even food and basic care.
You see, we cannot love God without loving His children, and we are all children
of the Lord. True love is always a three-way kind of love. First "For God so
loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV2) God's love for each
one of us is so amazing! Even though we really don't deserve His love, as we
have all wandered away to follow our own selfish pursuits, He continues to love
us indiscriminately.
Once we come to know such love, we can't help but to love as God does. This
means we love others as much as we love ourselves. This is how we show our love
to Him. There is no other way, no exemptions. Love can only be demonstrated
through love. "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with
actions and in truth." (1 John 3:18, NIV2)
May His love urge us to do something about the extreme poor. 1.4 billion people
in this world live on less than 37$ a month. We wouldn't even be able to afford
an iPod with such an income, much less be able to sustain ourselves. Let's
remember that love can, after all, only be demonstrated through love!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.