The chapter and verse separations in our Bibles were not part of the original manuscript but were added in 1227, to make it easier to locate texts. Although they are generally helpful, they can distort the relationship between different ideas. Today's verse in Hebrews 13:1 reads more helpfully when conjoined with the last verses of the previous chapter: "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" (Hebrews 12:28-29).

So, 'Keep on loving one another as brothers' is one of the ways in which we worship God; as Romans 12:1-2 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship." Our attitude to God's other children reflects how much we worship our Heavenly Father. His children are our brothers and sisters.

But it is not always easy to love our spiritual siblings. We may well need patience and kindness, and a supernatural strength so that we can be glad at what they have got, happy with their success and eager to praise them … with many other qualities found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. That kind of love only comes from God and is given to us as we allow His Holy Spirit to operate in our hearts, producing the fruit of His activity in our lives (Galatians 5:13-26). But keeping on loving people who are unlovely is difficult: they need constant forgiving (Luke 17:4).

This kind of love is not an emotional reaction to what we might like, but a deliberate decision based upon what we know our Heavenly Father likes. He wants His children to wear His character and serve each other as Christ served us (Matthew 20:26-28). God's other children are our eternal companions so we need to get in practice for heaven. God has kept on loving us when we have been unlovely, so we should keep on loving others – for His sake. Serving the difficult believer may be hard. But start by praying for them, for God's grace to seize them and His will to be done in their lives (Ephesians 6:18). Don't forget that love is a decision which involves serving. Ask the Lord to help you to keep on praying, loving and serving: for His sake, because He is their Father too.