Are you struggling to show God’s heart to others
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
Sometimes when the night skies are clear, a full moon illuminates the landscape, making everything clearly visible. However bright the scene may be, the moon doesn’t emit light but simply reflects it. This example from nature illustrates a valuable spiritual lesson: We can be empowered to do what may not seem possible in our own strength.
Loving others can fall into this category—some personalities make doing so a thorny challenge. But in today’s passage, Jesus said to His followers, “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (v. 34). The disciples may have thought that was impossible, and yet the commandment itself contains the answer to how we can, in fact, obey it: Before we can love as Jesus does, we must first receive His love for us. Only then are we able to mirror it to those around us and point them to the One who cares more deeply and abundantly than they could ever imagine. The Lord empowers us to be “imitators of God, as beloved children.” Only then are we able to “walk in love, just as Christ also loved [us]” Ephesians 5:1-2 And when we do, we carry out something grand and glorious—and are blessed as a result.
By Charles Stanley
Used by Permission