Love One Another
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35
Look closely at these verses. They are the words of Jesus. In my Bible, these words are printed in red. That means that they are pretty important. What does He say about loving others? Jesus tells us that we must love others. He doesn’t give us an option in this passage or anywhere else; He tells us to love others. But He goes on to say something else in this very important verse. We must love one another so that all men will know that we follow Him. He loves us, so therefore we must love others. It is our example of the love that we have for the others around us and in our world that shows others that we are disciples of Jesus. Think about that for just a moment. That’s a pretty big responsibility.
Do you love others like this? Do you love the people in your family? Do you love the people in your community? Do you love the people of your country? Do you love the people of your world? It’s important for me to examine my heart and my life periodically. In doing this, I focus on how I love. God loves me so very much; do I love others because of the love that He has for me? How do I demonstrate that love?
The verse above is pretty clear, and it doesn’t leave much room for question. Love one another. That means we must demonstrate our love for God by loving others. The people around us watch to see how we love. John says this is the way that the people around us know that we are followers of Christ. Are you involved in a ministry in your church or your community? Do others know that you are a Christ follower by the way you love others?
Lord, thank You for loving us and for giving us the command to love one another. Your Word tells us that we are known as Your disciples by the way we love others. Help me to love those around me and those in my world as You love them. In Jesus’ name, amen.
