Weekly Lesson 48

THE COMMAND TO LOVE

John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another”.

AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.
When Benjamin Franklin wished to interest the people of Philadelphia in street lighting, he did not try to persuade them by talking about it. Instead, he hung a beautiful lantern on a long bracket before his door. Then he kept the glass brightly polished, and carefully hung it at the approach of dusk.

People wandering about on the dark street saw Franklin’s light a long way off and came under the influence of its friendly glow with grateful hearts. To each one, it seemed to say, “Come along, my friend! Here is a safe place to walk. See that cobblestone sticking out? Do not stumble over it! I shall be here to help you again tomorrow night if you should come this way.” It was not long before Franklin’s neighbors began placing lights in brackets before their homes, and soon the entire city awoke to the value of street lighting and took up the matter with interest and joy.

You see, an example is always a strong motivation for doing the right thing in life. And the Lord gives us the best example of all.
Most of us are what we are today because of our parents’ example. Likewise, if parents are loving, there is a good possibility that their children will also be loving. We can doubt seriously we will ever love precisely like Jesus, but when we demonstrate love to others, we are walking in His steps.

1 John 1:4, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”


Now, this is a challenging scripture! Why? Because how can anyone fully describe our God, who is love? But John is clear: if you do not love, then you do not know God because God is love. And when we say, He is Creator of love, that is a poor way of saying it because God is more than just the Creator of true love. He is Love.

God’s children will live in love from God and love for God, for God is love. Jesus perfectly demonstrated that love. The response of the children of God should be to love one another, so that God’s love may be reflected in them. We miss God’s love and blessings when we focus on ourselves and not on others! Love One Another – How? As if they were your Family!

Love as brothers. Because we ARE family. As Christians, we are brothers and sisters. Throughout a lifetime, you may lose many friends – some may slip away, some might leave because you have argued, some might have had the best intentions of staying friends, but for one reason or another, the friendship ended.

But in your life, you have NEVER lost a brother or sister. They will always be your brother, sister, mom, dad, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc. So, if we love others and treat them like family, we stand the best chance of keeping them as friends and teammates for life.

Not only do we need to show love and hospitality to our brothers and sisters, but we show that same love to strangers! God is love, and we, His followers, need to be characterized by our love. And that love is not just shown to those who love us. It shows itself even to the unlovely. We care enough to tell everyone we know about the love Jesus has for them. We want them to become a part of our family! We want them on God’s Team; we want them our team.

The most excellent way we show our love for others is to tell them about Jesus. There are other ways we show our love for others. Including living a Godly life in front of them, talking to them about their problems, giving to those in need, helping those who need help, mowing lawns, doing household chores, give to missions, give to your church, help the elderly, saying kind things and many others. We love others when we put their needs ahead of our own.

What other ways can you think of that will help you show love for others?

Do you love others? Do you care if your friends go to Heaven?
 
Go to Romans Road to Salvation and/or Prayer of Rededication

Christ Centered Champions

Christ Centered Champions

We are more than champions through him who loved us. Romans 8:37