John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Love is a wonderful thing. Movies have been made about it, songs have been written and sung about it, poets have come up with amazing pieces of poetry about it and books and magazines have been written about it. In fact in every other magazine you will find articles about love how to give it, how to receive it, where to find it and so on. We all have a need for it, to get it and to give it and the bible has a lot to say about it. The bible definition of it and the way the world defines it are two separate things miles apart no wonder many are still on the quest to find it never finding the real thing and settling for counterfeits.
As Disciples of Christ when we love one another then it becomes a signpost that proves two things to the world. First it proves and displays the fact that Christ has loved us and secondly it proves to the world that we are the Disciples of Christ. Many proclaim to know God and they go to church every Sunday but Jesus said one of the marks of His true disciples is that they would have love for one another.
Love and unity go hand in hand, where there is no unity you will not find love. Sometimes I think we forget that love and forgiveness are the foundations of our Christian faith. God loves us and he forgives us when we believe in Jesus hence these two, love and forgiveness, ought to be our hallmarks everywhere we go.
Loving one another as believers is not an option; we are commanded by Jesus to do so. Not to love one another in the way the world defines love, but to love each other as He Christ has loved us, unconditionally the way love is described for us in 1 Corinthians 13. That is the standard that has been set for us.
1 John 4:19-21 (AMP)
19 We love, because [a]He first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates (works against) his [Christian] brother he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should also [unselfishly] love his brother and seek the best for him.
Brothers and sisters let us love one another!
Reflections.
When in your life have you felt the most loved?
If you visited a Church for the first time, what would make you feel loved?
If your close friends were to describe you, would they say that you are a loving person? If not, what changes must you make to be a loving person?
