Christian love is both vertical and horizontal. It starts with our love for God. This love is established by our “obedience to the truth” of the gospel. The resulting new birth purifies us from the inside out. This love begins and ends in God. We love him only because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). Here’s how Peter explains it.

1 Peter 1:22
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart….

The horizontal love is harder. Someone described it as two porcupines seeking warmth from each other on a cold night— “They needed each other, even though they needled each other.” We sometimes feel the same way. But Peter calls us to a love that is sincere (genuine, without hypocrisy), earnest (fervent, purposeful), and from the heart (the center of our emotions, desires, and will).

Maybe today, there is another believer who has not received sincere, earnest, and heartfelt love from you. In fact, maybe they have experienced the opposite. So, do you really want to follow Jesus? You know what you must do. Reach out to that person and begin to restore the relationship with sincere love from a pure heart.

Father, may our love be more than lip service. Make us men and women of action, even when it is difficult. In Jesus’ name. Amen.