“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34, 35 (NKJV)
Are you in love with Jesus?
To love Jesus with everything in you and to love one another is a big deal. Because if you love one another, you don’t carry hurt by each other.
I want to share something that’s really been on my heart. I want you to look at John 13.
In this chapter, Jesus begins talking about His coming betrayal.
Then He talks about this new commandment.
And I want to share that new commandment.
Jesus was asked which of the commandments was the greatest, and He said in Matthew 22:37, 28 (NKJV), “... ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Jesus said that all of the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
So all the Law — 613 laws and the Ten Commandments — and all the prophets hinge on these two commandments. He’s saying that this is “the everything” of the gospel.
It’s crazy because it’s an original commandment but Jesus wants it to be a new reality.
In John 13:34, what does Jesus say? A new commandment I give to you that you… argue with one another. Even as I have argued with you, so you also must argue with one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you… argue with one another…
Does that not sound like the weirdest thing ever?
That’s because it’s not what the Bible says.
I want to read what Jesus actually says:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
I want you to think about how Jesus loved people.
How did Jesus love His disciples?
How did Jesus love the lost?
What did Jesus do?
Who followed Jesus?
Who hated Jesus?
How did He walk?
He said that this is how the world will know who His disciples are: “... if you have love for one another …”
In other words, “I want you to be known because of your love for one another.”
When I came to Christ, I was absolutely as twisted and as far away from God as possible.
I was an absolute wreck.
A sinner.
Suicidal.
Demonically possessed by everything that I could possibly get and put in my body to make my mind settle.
And nothing ever worked.
No matter what the drug was.
No matter how high I could be.
No matter how drunk I could be.
Nothing ever fixed it.
Because my solutions were always temporary.
And then Jesus, in the midst of my junk, and in the midst of my trash and tragedy, says,
“I want that one.”
Sometimes I think that we can be saved for so long that we forget just how horrible we really were.
That, after time, we begin to rationalize, “Well, I wasn’t that bad.”
But when you look at the reality of it…
That God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever would believe in Him…
We have to consider that there’s a big difference in how people believe in Him.
Jesus did not just pay a price for us to exit this world and for us to enter into Heaven as soon as we prayed a prayer.
He left us here so that we could remind the devil that Jesus is alive.
And the way I remind the devil that Jesus is alive is through my love walk.
It’s not because of how I hurt.
It’s not because of how I get hurt.
It’s because of how I love.
By this they will know that I’m Jesus’ disciple.
Jesus said, “This is a new commandment I’m going to give you.”
It’s probably a good idea to obey the new commandment.
I also know that the devil knows that Jesus said this is the new commandment.
So if the devil knows this is the new commandment Jesus gave His disciples, wouldn’t the devil have anything to do with trying to interrupt the assignment we’ve all been given?
Absolutely.
Do you think the enemy might work overtime to try to disrupt that?
To get people into a place of offense…
Into bitterness…
Into jealousy…
Into craziness…
So that he can stop the very thing Jesus told us to do?
Your war is not against flesh and blood.
Your war is against principalities.
And the enemy’s job is to muddy the face of Jesus.
To make it look different than what it really is.
To get us back into works, trying to earn something that was given to us freely by grace.
The devil would love nothing more than to divide and derail Christians from loving one another and from living out their purpose on Earth.
Let’s not give him the satisfaction.
Let’s call him out on his bluff, and let’s be men and women who do not take offense but stand for righteousness and love one another without measure, just like Jesus does.
Then, the world will know that we are His disciples.
Then, the effectiveness of our witness to the world will have great impact.
Take a moment today and remember where Jesus found you. Let gratitude stir up compassion in your heart for God’s people, and for the lost.
God, thank You for rescuing me when I was far from You. Never let me forget the mercy You showed me. Fill my heart with compassion for my brothers and sisters in Christ, and for people who don’t know You yet. Let my life show the reality of Your love. Amen.
Love never fails,
Todd White