By This Everyone Will Know That You are My Disciples.

John 13:1, 34-35

“It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end… (34) ^“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Do you have any siblings that you look like or do you look like your parents?  People can often tell who you are if you look like one of your parents or siblings.  You are identified with your family members, those you hang out with or those that you resemble.  We often make jokes in my family about specific characteristics that identify people in my family. 

Jesus knew that His time was about over and He was going to be with the Father (God).  He loved His disciples who were with Him while He was on the earth to the very end.  He never stopped loving them.  It was His end and He still loved them, regardless of the fact that Judas was about to betray Him.  His love was unconditional and without end.  He was about to endure great suffering and yet the scripture records how He loved them to the end. 

Isn’t it amazing that God loves us even though He knows all of our flaws, idiosyncrasies, and mistakes. He died for each of us regardless of our sins.  He did it so that we could come into relationship with Him again.  He loves us to the end as well.

Jesus also wanted to let His disciples know that His end was near. Some questioned where He was going and why He was leaving. He washed their feet and left an example for them to do the same.  He announced that He would be betrayed, knowing exactly who would betray Him.  He wanted them to know that they could not go with Him.

But He wanted to leave them with an important and new command…to Love one another as He loved them.  Remember, the first verse said that He loved them to the end.  He wanted them to be an example of His love for them.  He wanted them to show love one for another so that the world would know that they were His disciples.  They were to be identified with Christ by the love they showed to one another.

Not just verbal consent (talking), but true authentic love for one another.  Their actions were going to make them look like Christ, loving to the end.  Everyone would know that they belong to Jesus because they loved, truly loved one another.  They were going to take love to another level. 

This is what Jesus is still saying to those that are His today.  We are supposed to show love to one another to the extent that it is identifies us with Jesus. Anyone looking at us will be able to tell that we belong to Jesus.  God is love and we should love one another like Christ loves us.  Real love.

You know Jesus could have pointed out Judas to the other disciples and I’m sure they would have done away with Judas.  But because Jesus loved them to the end, He didn’t call Him out or try to get Him straight in front of the others.  Jesus knew of the betrayal because it was part of His plan as well.  A plan to redeem us back to Himself.  A way for us to be a part of His family and have eternal life.

I don’t know about you, but I am grateful that God loved us enough to send Jesus.  Jesus died so that we may have life.

Jesus didn’t die so that His church could be filled with bitterness, jealousy, strife, gossip, lying, stealing, cheating, backbiting, hatred, prejudice, fear, or division.  These things should not be in the body of Christ.  Do you see these things in your church?  Well pray that your church will take seriously the command of Jesus to love one another as He has loved us.

Be blessed and love so that you can be identify with Christ, loving to the end.

With Loving Kindness Have I Drawn Thee

 

Jeremiah 31:2-4

³ The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Jeremiah writes of what the Lord says to him regarding the people of Israel.  The Lord says that He loves them with an everlasting love and has drawn them to Himself with loving kindness.  This sounds so sweet and comforting.  Not only did God say that He loved them but He loved them with an everlasting love. 

Everlasting means lasting forever or a very long time; lasting or continuing for an indefinitely long time.  God lets Israel know that He has loved them and will continue to love them forever.  How comforting and reassuring it is to know that God’s love will continue for an indefinitely long time, throughout eternity. 

Not only does He love them with an everlasting love but He shows them kindness – kindness that is motivated by His love.  He was eager to do what was best for them if they would allow Him to, if they were obedient. He warned them about their sins but He also reminded them that He loves them. 

God loves us but He does not love our sins.  He loves us too much to leave us in our sins, so He sent Jesus.  Jesus loved us enough to endure the Cross and die for our sins.  Our sins separate us from God but our repentance will cause us to draw near to God.  God is not giving up on you, He is drawing you to Him with love. 

He will warn you about your sins with love.  Why? Because He loves you too much to leave you the way you were when you gave your life to Him.  God is well aware of who you are and what struggles or sins that you need help with.  And in spite of all of that, He still loves you and me. His love is everlasting.  Just let that sink in…His love is everlasting.

God’s love will continue for an undefined period of time.  He is lovingly drawing us to Him so that we can become more like Him.  I know others may not love you for long, or may have given up on you, but God is not one of them.  He is God and His love is everlasting.

I don’t know about you but my heart is so encouraged to know that God loved me before I was born and will continue to love me.  He is drawing me closer to Himself with love and as I obey, I will become more like Him and enjoy the sweet relationship that He wants to have with me.  Yes, with me. 

So, if you are looking for love, here is the best love available.  The love that comes from the only One that can love you forever.  He is drawing you with loving kindness. Accept His love and draw near to Him.  You won’t regret it.

Let Us Love One Another

1 John 4:7-8

“⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

We are admonished by John the Apostle to love one another. Love is mentioned repeatedly in the Bible.  Here are some statistics on how many times it is mentioned in the different versions:

·       English Standard Version: 684

·       King James Version: 442

·       New American Standard Bible: 479

·       New Living Translation: 759

·       New International Version: 686

·       The Message: 611

Why should we love one another? We should love one another because love is of God and God is love.  Love is defined as an intense feeling of deep affection, a great interest and pleasure in something, (v.) feel deep affection for (someone).  The ancient Greeks have five to eight words for love:

·       Storge: affection

·       Philia or Phileo: friendship 

·       Eros: sexual, erotic

·       Agape: unconditional, divine, selfless

·       Ludus: flirtatious, playful, casual, uncommitted

·       Pragma: committed, long-standing

·       Philautia: self-love

·       Mania: obsessive, possessive, addictive, dependent

The scripture states that God is love.  Not only does He love us but He is love.  The verb “is” – the present tense third person singular of “be”.  Be means to equal in meaning: have the same connotation as; to have a specified qualification or characterization. God has the specific character of love.  His love is so intense, deep, faithful, and unmeasurable.  We can’t even fathom (to measure by a sounding line; to penetrate and come to understand) how much He loves us. He loved us so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus to die for our sins.  He died for us to have eternal life.  He suffered great humiliation and pain so that we could live with Him in eternity.  If we do not accept Him as the Lord of our lives, we will spend eternity in hell with the enemy, the devil. 

Jesus came and gave His all so that we could have eternal life and peace in heaven with God.  What love! Jesus says in John 15:12-13, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus laid down His life for us and called us friends.  Even when we were sinners, He died for us. 

We cannot say that we know God if we do not love one another. God commands us to love one another, Matthew 22:37-39, ³⁷ Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’^[e] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” Not a suggestion, but a commandment. 

Jesus also said in John 13:35 “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” This is how the world is going to know that we belong to Jesus by how we love one another.  If we give our lives to God, we can develop the fruit of the Spirit, which is love.  The world needs to see us loving one another not just in word but deeds as well.

People often say that they love others and continue to treat them harshly.  1 John 4:20-21 says, “²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer,^[c] that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.”  If we say we love God and don’t love people, we are deceiving ourselves.  The Bible clearly calls that person a liar.  We must not only say that we love each other but we must treat each other kindly and loving. 

If you are of God, you must learn to love others.  Let the Holy Spirit help you to develop the fruit of the Spirit, love. So, let us love one another and the world will see Jesus. Then they will accept Him as their Savior.  It is Good news!! 

 

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD...

 

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (NKJV)

We are rapidly approaching the Easter season where the world celebrates the crucifixion of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ.  It was His sacrifice that gave us the opportunity to come into relationship with Him. He paid the ultimate price for our sins for He was without sin.  Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Christ loves us enough to die for us.  He poured out all of His life so that we might have life.

Has anyone ever given their all so that you could live? Have they endured humiliation, ridicule, false testimony, beatings, torture, rejection, hanging on a crossing, or suffocating in their own blood for you?  Would you do all of that for someone else, especially your enemy?

We were sinners and Christ died for us.  Yes, all of us.  Not just one race or creed, religion, or ethic group, but all of us.  We all have an opportunity to accept Jesus as our Savior and be in relationship with Him.  What a privilege and an honor to know the Lord.

I grew up thinking knowing Jesus or being saved was a list of things I could not do.  I believed that I had to earn His love by always being perfect or doing the right thing.  God knows I was made to feel bad about wanting to do anything or go any way other than what I had grown to know.  I am not saying what I was taught was wrong but I didn’t have a clue how much God truly loved me. I grew up trying to please people to gain their attention and love.  I just wanted to be loved for me.  I became a people pleaser and it cost me dearly. 

I was looking for love in all the wrong places.  I made some bad choices and endured great suffering.  I endured a divorce, raising children on my own, court dates, and disappointment for me and my children.  This was not what I wanted for my life or theirs. I was in wrong relationships and found that my freedom and happiness came when I stopped trying to be all things to all people and lean on the One that loved me most – Jesus. 

I rededicated my life to God as an adult and realized that God truly loves me. Jesus took on my sins and I could be free, loved, and accepted.  What a game changer for me.  I no longer had to try so hard to find love in people that couldn’t fulfill the longing in my soul anyway – only Jesus could.  I could begin to build a relationship with my Creator that knew me before I was even formed in my mother’s womb. He knows exactly what I need and I can be totally honest with God (why not He already knows).

The journey began and it is still continuing.  I am still falling in love with the One that loved me enough to give all. Jesus died for my sins. He had me on His mind when He was hanging on that Cross.  He was dying so that I could be free from fear, disgrace, shame, guilt, bitterness, unforgiveness, loneliness, death, hell, and the grave. Yes, death because without Him, I was surely going to face eternal death.

Jesus died so that we all could live throughout eternity with Him.  He has plans for us to be together in Heaven in a constant celebration in the loving light that He emanates. In John 8:12, it says, “¹² Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” 

As this season is upon us, let us not forget why Jesus came to this earth.  He came to save those that were lost.  And yes, He has not returned yet because 2 Peter 3:9 says, “⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward ^[a]us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Jesus is soon to come!  He is coming on a cloud and every eye shall see Him.  He loves us enough to send His best – Jesus Christ to make atonement for our sins.  Accept His plan for your life today and begin a journey that you won’t regret.  Why?  "¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."