EVERYONE wants and needs to love and to be loved.
The admonition to “love one another” is as imperative today as it ever has been. Even those who don’t believe in God or Christ need to hear the message of love.
So many of us who do believe get so caught up in various doctrines, that the message of love gets buried beneath everything else! We get so concerned and focused on issues like ‘worshipping on the Sabbath’ or whether or not someone has been baptized and/or how they were baptized. We argue over whether any or all of the commandments are even valid anymore. Can a Christian kill in the name of God and/or country – or even in self-defense? What about women and/or gay clergy? What about this? What about that? WHAT ABOUT LOVE?!?
Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to LOVE GOD with all your being and that the second greatest commandment is to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Christ went so far as to say, "A new command I give you; to LOVE ONE ANOTHER as I have loved you." What was so new about that? Christ had already made it clear that we are to love one another, what was new about this command? He said, “AS I have loved you”.
Ah ha! Therein lies the rub! Just as Christ had loved his disciples, he wanted and commanded them to love one another. Why? “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:15).
Are you a disciple of Christ? Do you love those who love Christ? Do you love them as Christ loved his disciples? That is “as-is” - unconditionally, with all their faults still glaringly evident? Even knowing that they (and you) are far from perfect, and will never be perfect until such time as Christ calls us home? Knowing that you and they are going to do things and say things that you will not agree is right and good? Knowing that you and they may at some point say or do something that may cut to the core? (Consider that even as Judas was betraying Jesus, He called him “friend”. Matthew 26:50)
Romans 5:8 tells us that, “God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” That’s how much Jesus loves you! Do you love Jesus enough to love others as he did? As he commands?
In closing, I strongly encourage you to spend much time in prayer and in God’s Word, the Bible. As you do, ask him to help you write his words on your heart and to help you keep them as your highest priority all day long - each and every day of your life. Prayerfully ask God to help you be aware of and sensitive to the leading of his Holy Spirit within you. Give yourself over completely to God, surrendering all your prejudices and pride to him. Open yourself up to HIS SPIRIT and live for him -- instead of for yourself. Trust in God and let his heart be your heart. Let his word be your word. Don’t question God or how he works. Simply “Trust and Obey.” …and LOVE.
Additional Bible Reading: Luke 6; 1st Peter 1; 1st John 4
All Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version. Original work copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
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