Loving Each Other

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Scripture: John 15:12-14 (NIV)

12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

Devotion:

            Jesus is speaking in today’s scripture. He is giving his disciples their marching orders for a life without him personally being there to lead them. Jesus stresses love as the primary identity for a disciple. They and by extension us are told repeatedly in the gospels and letters that we are to love one another. It is repeated over and over again. The only reason I can think of for this constant repetition is that it must be of primary importance to Jesus that we love one another.

            Therefore, we should not let repetition dull our senses. Instead let us concentrate more fully on what Jesus is insisting that we do for him and for each other. The word love only occurs 287 times in the New Testament alone. There must be something here for us to discover. If only we will pay attention. God is speaking are we listening?

            The Greek word for love in this verse in agapÄ“. It refers to a specific kind of love. It means self-sacrificing love. Such as Jesus displayed when going to the cross for our sins. This is indeed what Jesus is quoted as saying in these verses. To love as Jesus loved will require our total commitment. We must be prepared to do literally anything for our neighbor. We should be ready to give even our very lives for one another. That is a love that this world knows far too little of. It is difficult to practice this kind of sacrificial love no wonder Jesus repeats the command so many times. We humans are too slow to notice what Jesus is really saying here.

            So, are there any examples of what Jesus was talking about here from which we can learn? Well, there are a few that are obvious. Our first and most obvious example is Jesus himself. Also, besides Judas and John all of the original 12 disciples gave their lives for the faith. There are so many who have died in the past for the faith that they are beyond number. Currently there are many people in other countries who have given their last ounce of courage to declare that Jesus is Lord.

            We can see that many people have given away their lives for the sake of the gospel. We are called to do no less. While here in the United States none of us will be required to give our lives for the faith there are other losses that we may be required to face. We can lose a job or our reputation for following our beliefs and declaring that Jesus not culture is our Lord of our lives. We are not expected to do any less. Let us pray that we will stand for Jesus when the standing is difficult:

Prayer:

            Lord help us to be willing to love you and our fellow believers up to and including the loss of our very lives. Keep us in the faith. May we be willing to give our last ounce of devotion to our neighbor for your sake. May we always look to the examples of those who came before us in the faith including your son Jesus, the apostles and all the martyrs who have died for the faith. Lord, grant us the strength to be faithful followers of yours. Amen.

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