Love One Another


Meditation

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(John 13:34-35)

This is a commandment, not a suggestion, and very hard for some believers to conform to. He loved us so much he willingly sacrificed himself on the cross, so we wouldn’t have to pay the price for our sins. How can I possibly love others as much as Jesus loved me? I cannot show Christ’s love for someone if I never show them I love them. As in, trying to get to know them and becoming a friend. If I live in a neighborhood but never speak to my neighbors, would they suspect I’m a Christian? If I see they need my help but turn my back and go about my own business, would they be able to see Jesus in my actions? If I go to church every Sunday, but never speak to anyone, why am I there? If I never offer to help a brother or sister when their need is brought to my attention, what kind of Christian am I?
Like it or not, the unbelievers around us are watching to see if we practice what we preach. That’s a heavy responsibility to bear, and one most of us never consider that at all. Our actions are either our best or our worst witness. Are we showing Christ’s love? Jesus gave us the best example of his love while he was here. He could have ignored everyone who didn’t believe he was the Messiah. We can do the same thing by loving only our brothers and sisters in Christ, ignoring everyone else. If we claim to love others but cloister ourselves in our little church community, we are fooling ourselves. Yes, we should go to church and fellowship with other believers but that shouldn’t be the extent of our Christian walk.
We can easily obey this command by putting other people’s needs before our own. That means, when we see a person who has no food and no means to buy it, we find a way to provide for them. When a person doesn’t have suitable clothing for the weather, we make sure they get it. We might take a meal, or do chores for a sick neighbor, even though they might not have ever been very friendly to us. We can volunteer at a homeless shelter or give money to help a missionary. We cannot claim to know anything about loving one another if all we do is sit in a church pew on Sunday. God wants us to be proactive about showing love, even if all you’re physically or financially able to do is pray. That’s called sacrificial love and that’s how we show we belong to Jesus. 





Prayer Time

Lord God in heaven you are the very image of love and there is none like you. You gave your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross, even though we were your enemies. You love us enough to forgive all our transgressions when we repent of our past sins, confess Christ as our Lord, and are washed in the waters of baptism. There is no example of human love that comes even close to that. We thank you for showing us that love, and how we are to love one another. Help us to always show the unbelieving world around us what the love of Christ is really like. Help us to always BE Christ to anyone who doesn’t know him. Let there never be a question in anyone’s mind, whether or not we are disciples of Jesus. Help us to put aside any differences we may have with our brothers and sisters in the faith, forgiving each other freely. Lord, we always want to be your hands and feet. As we love our fellow man and share the gospel, give us your blessing for our deeds. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!
Location: Raleigh, NC, USA

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