YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND MAN

Only he has purified himself, who has set right his relationship with both God and man, his Creator and his fellow-creatures. We must discharge our obligations to both. God requires that we must live in practice every word we utter in affirmation of God. God is one, without associate.  What we affirm with our tongues we must illustrate by our deeds, not ever reducing God to the status of man. We owe to our fellow-creatures that we habour no malice, hatred, prejudice, rancour, desire to harm or intent against them to injure, it is not easy to attain these negative virtues. You are still very distant from this spiritual station. Have you set right your personal relations with your brethren? I am afraid not. You have not given up complaints and counter-complains nor backbiting. You trample over other people's rights. God wants you to live like brothers and to function as parts of one organic whole. Thus alone can you attain spiritual bliss.  If human beings cannot deal honestly with their own brothers how can they with God? True, God's claim on our obedience is very great. But the measure of how pure your account is with God is how pure it is with His creatures. One who is not straight and sincere with men cannot be straight and sincere with God, to be straight and sincere is no small matter.  It is something big and difficult.  Sincere love is one thing, insincere and hypocritical love, quite another.  When a believer falls ill, another believer goes and visits him to express his concern.  If a believer dies, fellow-believes join his funeral. No questions should be raised over small matters.  It is best if such things are ignored.  God does not approve of your living at a distance from one another.  Without true love, there is no COMMUNITY.