Love One Another

-


Scripture: John 13:34-35 (NIV)

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Devotion:

Jesus here issues a clarion call for a new way of love among believers. In a world where love is often reduced to sentiment or convenience, Jesus calls us to a higher standard. We are to love as He has loved us. Jesus showed His love for us by healing the sick, raising the dead, and loving us enough to go to the cross to pay the debt we could not pay. This command challenges us to examine our lives. How do we treat others? The way we live our lives reveals how closely we follow Jesus. Jesus here states the undeniable fact that the world will take notice when Christians truly love one another in a way that points to the One we follow.

The context here is Jesus in the upper room with His twelve disciples before the Passover meal. Just prior to this teaching, Jesus has washed the disciples' feet. (John 13:1-11) Washing of feet was something a slave or servant would do, not a Rabbi. Jesus here calls for humility and service to be the defining features of His disciples, even to the point of washing each other's feet. Jesus made it crystal clear that if you follow Him, you are not to love as the world loves. Loving each other in costly, uncomfortable ways is the path for the disciple of Jesus.

The teaching illustration has often been used that goes like this: If there was a law against being a Christian, would there be evidence to convict you? According to Jesus in this teaching, that evidence would be the way you loved your fellow believer. Our witness rises or falls based on our love for one another. I don’t know about you, but that scares me a little bit. Because sometimes I just don’t. Jesus here is plainly insisting that genuine love for our brothers and sisters in the faith is the mark of a Christian life; without it, we cannot call ourselves by that name.

Our love for one another. The depth and intensity of love we have for those who name the name of Jesus alongside us is the measuring stick the world uses to judge Christ’s church. When we love each other, it not only sends a signal to the world but also heals divisions within the church and encourages the weary, faltering, and disaffected. Genuine love works wonders.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, teach us to love as You have loved us. Shape our hearts with humility, patience, and compassion. Help us to see our brothers and sisters in Christ in need and respond with grace and love even when love feels costly. Make your church like a family where your love is visible. Let our witness be enhanced by the way we love each other. Let our love draw others into the church. May our love reflect the One who first loved us. Amen

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

At the Crossroads

-
Scripture: Jeremiah 6:16 ( NIV ) 16  This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths , ask where the good way is, and walk in it, And you will find rest for your souls . But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.   Devotion: Life often presents us with crossroads—moments when we must make choices that shape our future and define our character. It is in these moments that Jeremiah 6:16 calls out with clarity and wisdom: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” These words offer both a promise and a warning, urging us to pause, reflect, and make informed choices. Jeremiah spoke these words to a nation that had wandered far from God, forsaking His ways for paths of their own making. The “ancient paths” refer to the tried-and-true principles established by God—paths walked by th...
Read more

I Lift Up My Eyes

-
Scripture: Psalm 121:1-7 ( NIV ) "I lift up my eyes to the mountains —where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life." Devotion: Looking in the Right Direction The psalmist begins with a question we've all asked in moments of fear, uncertainty, or desperation: "Where does my help come from?" Notice he doesn't begin with an answer but with honest seeking. He lifts his eyes to the mountains—perhaps looking toward Jerusalem , where the temple stood, or scanning the horizon for approaching danger or deliverance. But the question itself is crucial. In our age of self-reliance and ...
Read more

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

-
Ephesians 4:1-6 (NIV) I, Paul , as a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Devotion: Ephesians 4:1-6 calls believers to unity and a life that honors God’s calling. Paul, writing from prison , urges us to live "worthy of the calling you have received." This powerful charge isn’t about earning our place in God’s family —instead, it’s about responding in gratitude to the grace we’ve already received. Paul lists practical ways to demonstrate this: humility , gentleness , patience , and bearing with one another in love. These are not qualities we develop in isolation...
Read more