Our Duty to Love Those We See

For to be able to love a man in spite of his weaknesses and errors and imperfections is not perfect love; it is rather to be able to find him lovable in spite of and together with his weakness and errors and imperfections. pg 156

...this discussion is about the duty of finding in the world of actuality those we can love in particular and in loving them to love the men we see. When this is the duty, the task is not: to find - the lovable object; the the task is: to find the object already given or chosen - lovable, and to be able to continue finding him lovable, no matter how he becomes changed. pg 158

...the holy God is gracious and therefore always points away from himself, saying, as it were, "If you wish to love me, love the men you see. Whatever you do for them you do for me."

God is too exalted to be able to accept a man's love directly, to say nothing of being able to find pleasure in what pleases a fanatic. pg 158

If anyone says "Corban" of the gift by which he could help his parents, that is, that it is intended for God, this would not be well-pleasing to God.

If you want to show that it is intended for God, then give it away, but with the thought of God. If you want to show that your life is intended as service to God, then let it serve men, yet continually with the thought of God. pg 158-9