Love One Another

Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (John 13:34). That is a tall order. He didn't say to love only when someone deserves it. He didn't say to love only those who love you in return. He said to love one another. Jesus even encouraged us to love our enemies.

In another encounter, someone asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was in the law. "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40) Paul declared in Romans 13:8-10, "Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." To sum it up-- love God and love people.

What does love in action look like? 1 Corinthians 13 gives us a wonderful description. Verses 4-7 in the King James Version read, "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." The New Living Translation reads this way, "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." I was encouraged by a book to read verses 4-7 again and place my name where it says the words "love" or "it." That is exactly the kind of person that I want to be.

Love helps you look beyond the faults of others. 1 Peter 4:8 says, "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." Indeed, God loved us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 reads, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." If God could love us when we were undeserving, can't we do the same for others?

Remember as you go about your daily life that everyone wants to be loved. We can show them the love that God has so graciously given to us, and He wants to extend to them as well.

Love is a choice that has to be made over and over again. Each day, you must decide how you are going to react to situations--will it be with love, frustration, or anger? Reacting with frustration or anger can lead to feelings of guilt or regret. However, if love is your course of action, you will reap great rewards and have a greater positive impact on those around you.

Dr. Lee Warren (an author and neurosurgeon) gave some great advice. He said that every morning, he spends some time thinking about situations that may arise that day. He makes a plan of how he is going to respond to those situations ahead of time. This allowed him to create a positive response ahead of time, instead of a frustrated or stressful response in the heat of the moment. This is a practice that I feel would be very beneficial.

I encourage you to walk in love. We used to sing a song titled, "Fill My Way Everyday With Love." Ask God to help you. Ask Him to let His love shine through you to help others.

I will leave you with the words of 1 Corinthians 16:14, "Let all your things be done with charity."