John 13:34-35
[Jesus said] “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, so also you are to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Dear Lord Jesus,
We are to love one another. That sounds easy enough until you look at what you meant. As people, we want to find loopholes or the limits to how far we go with this or that. Because you know us, you have done just that. You gave us the limits of love: we are to love each other as you have loved us. You loved us by dying for what we have done wrong. To love one another as you loved us means we would be willing to give up our lives for each other, to hold nothing back from them. However, our idea of love is we will love as long as we get something from it. We obtain personal satisfaction and think, “look what I have done!” Or those we love give us love in return, and they do great things for us. But you went to the cross for us when we could not repay you; there had to be no satisfaction in being whipped, beaten, and hung on that cross. However, you still did this knowingly, willingly, and intentionally suffering our punishment and dying for our sins. Moreover, you did this even though we are loveless to you. Lord, please forgive us when we cannot keep this commandment the way you would have us keep it. Let our motivation to love others be because of your love for us. We would have a love for others because of our faith in you. Strengthen our faith, so we actively and intentionally love others as you loved us. And we demonstrate your love to one another so those who do not know you will learn of your love. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
To love as Jesus has commanded us is impossible on our own. However, we are not alone, and it is no longer impossible. Jesus has forgiven you, and the Holy Spirit established faith in us. We now love because Christ first loved us.