Walk In Love (Pt 4)

Walk in love Part 4 “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 Love is a commandment How often have we heard people say 'I don't love him any more' 'I don't love her anymore' 'we have grown apart - there was no love for him or her anymore hence we went our separate ways'. 'I don't have feelings for him anymore'. Even at the workplace and in the church today, we also hear things like 'I don't like him' 'she is not my cup of tea' . Looking at the passage that we just read, Jesus our master said 'A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another'. Think about the statement for a moment. Love is a commandment. Love is not a suggestion. Love is not when or if we feel like it. Love is a commandment. Commandments are meant to be obeyed by those to whom they are given. As Christians and followers of Jesus Christ, we don't really have much of a choice when it comes to loving other people...it is a commandment. It is not a suggestion that gives one a choice whether or not to obey. Also notice from the passage is John 13:34 Jesus said 'A new commandment I give you...' The commandment of love has been given. In Matthew‬ ‭22:37-40‬ ‭- Jesus said to him, “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 neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” ‬‬Again Jesus calls love a commandment but only this time He calls it the second most important commandment...our love for others and for one another. You see, following and obeying this commandment of love validates our discipleship. For Jesus said "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another”. Notice the expression 'all will know that we are'. That means everyone will know! Our neighbours will know! Our spouse will know! The world will see and know! We ourselves will know! This means the effect of love is infectious. It is like a revolution. No one will miss the effects of love, for Jesus said 'all will know'. Love has to be the hallmark of our discipleship...that we belong to Jesus. So when next we are faced with the decision of whether to show and walk in love, just remember that love is commandment. And if we follow this commandment of love to the letter, paying close attention to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, then our lives will be rich and we will touch the lives of many. 'All will know' Have a wonderful week radiating Jesus by walking in love. God bless you!