“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. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” -John 13:34-35
Society has taught us that love is a feeling we have for one another and like all feelings love can come and go. Love is an idea or a concept which is created by our heart or our mind and since it is an idea love is a noun which requires no action on our parts. Love comes and goes with intense passion like Romeo & Juliet or the acceptance of friends in the middle of the moment. But the Bible defines love as action or something to be acted upon. We shouldn’t allow our emotions to dictate how we treat one another no matter the circumstance. Jeremiah 17:9 teaches us “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” As followers of Christ we choose to love one another in the same breath we choose to follow Christ. Love is not an emotional response, but a decided choice. But look again at John 13:35 and notice “…by this all people will know…”. Jesus tells us if we love one another our love will manifest in a way all people, inside and outside the church, will be able to notice. (Matthew 5:46-47) Let the words of your mouth and the work of your hands be evidence of the hope you have inside. Finally, if you need a reminder of how to act in love 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 was written just for you! What keeps you from loving those around you?
Pray for God to help you act in love toward all those you come in contact with and to give you strength when you don’t feel like loving others.
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