Loving Others
Love Jesus, love others, love self is a good pattern for the Christian life. Jesus actually makes it clear that you can’t love Jesus and not love others. He also encourages us to love others as we love ourselves. Yes, it is a good pattern. Look at how it works. First, Jesus loves us. Because of that we love Jesus. Result is that we should love others. If we love others doesn’t it follow that they will love us? We should love others because Jesus first loved us and our loving others will bring us their love. Another great pattern.
Looking at the word of God we learn that Jesus sets the example and then demands that we follow it. “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.” (John 13:34) This is not a tolerate others, or like others, or feel good about others, this is a Jesus type love for others. In 1 John chapter four and verse eleven John tells Christians, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
Just keep in mind that the Bible warns us that if we can’t love a brother we can see we will not be able to love God whom we can’t see. (1 John 4:20)
Any reason we can give for not loving others is a reason Christ could give for not loving us, for God not loving us. But John reminds us that God loves the entire world.
Task for Today: Hopefully you have not been finding excuses for not loving someone, even a declared enemy. To love God and Christ more dearly you must have practiced on others. How are you doing? Remember, you don’t have to agree with them or their behavior to love them. Up your love effort today. Everyone you meet today is loved by God. And you?
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