Spiritually Speaking
Love God, and love each other
September 9, 2016
Before Jesus went home to be with the Father, He offered hope, encouragement and challenges to His disciples. One of the most intriguing for me is found in John 13:35: “By this all men will know you are my disciples; by your love for each other.” For those who have read the writings of John, it should come as no surprise that he included this directive. Often referred to as “the Apostle of Love,” John was one of Jesus’ closest companions during the three-year ministry. He even referred to himself in the third person as the “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He was so proud of his time with Jesus that he began both his Gospel and the first of his letters talking about the “Word become flesh.”
As things turned out (divine intervention?) John was the last of the Apostles to die. In spite of persecution and imprisonment, he lived until close to the end of the first century. Imagine the respect and mystique that must have surrounded him in his latter days. The story is told of an aged John gathered with the believers for a time of worship. When called upon to say a few words, the aged man stood and painstakingly made his way to the front of the room. In an old, yet audible, voice he said, “Little children, love each other,” and slowly returned to his seat.
In 1st John, the nearly century-old apostle wrote often about his favorite subject. Since we don’t have space to elaborate at length, here are two things John found important. First, and perhaps most obviously, love God. However, not just any old love will do. John saw within the call to love the call to obedience. One need not mouth the words if unwilling to give themselves to the ONE they claim to love. Secondly, in order to show our love for God, we must be willing to love each other. John rather famously said, “How can you love God, whom you have not seen, if you don’t love your brother, whom you have seen?”
Perhaps these things sound familiar. When asked what He considered the greatest commandment, Jesus said, “Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.” Good advice. See you Sunday!
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