John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
I’m sure some of you are looking at this saying, “I thought love was our religion”. Love is certainly a mayor component of our theology, but I’m not sure it’s central to our religious practice; especially when we talk about loving all Christians no matter what. It’s a great concept, but implementing it has its challenges.
Let me clarify what I’m saying. When I use the word religious, I’m referring to those practices that define us. I’m referring to those activities that we simply can’t live without. For instance, I religiously brush my teeth and wash my face in the morning. It something I feel I must do; and if for any reason I cannot, I’m out of sorts all day. Conversely, I plan to exercise everyday. I’d like to become religious at doing so. But currently, if I miss a day or so, I’m not that devastated. And that’s because I don’t (yet) do it religiously.
Here’s another example. Over the last year I’m in prayer with the saints twice a day. I religiously place my petitions, problems, desires and ambitions before the Lord. But I don’t always stay on my knees and quietly wait for his reply. So while I share my daily monologue with the Lord, I don’t always have a conversation (which prayer is suppose to be). I have to do better if I’m going to make it a religious activity. It must be part of who I am, not just what I do from time to time.
So now let’s talk about love. Sometimes we act like we don’t know what love is. We know. Love is a series of selfless actions. It’s not a concept or idea. In one form or another, we’ve all been there. When we love someone, we give what we don’t want to give, go where we don’t want to go, dress, talk, walk and carry ourselves in a totally different way than what we normally would do. Why. To prove our love. Love demands proof.
Jesus established a new principle among his followers. Instead of adherence to rigorous rules and regulations, ceremonies and religious activities, he gave us a new discipline to master. The discipline of love. And I’m finding that this discipline may be more arduous than all of the former commandments combined.
Let’s take church for example. It’s functionality takes preparation and resources that don’t necessarily lend itself to personal love and affection for all God’s people. We love the core folk we work with, or those that readily comport to our sense of order and decorum. But what about those that don’t? Folk that don’t look like us, dress like us, act like us, believe exactly how we believe? If church is our religion we have a situation. It’s intolerable to gross differences. Its a culture of us and them...the very antithesis of love. It’s not accepting and gracious to outside opinions.
But what about what Jesus commanded? How do we get there from where we are? I say let’s go back to the brushing my teeth example. There was a time I didn’t do that. My parents had to remind me. My mother would check behind me to see if I did a good job. But as I matured and began to understand the benefits, I added it to my regiment so deeply that it became a major part of who I am. We have to treat loving the Body of Christ the same way.
We must seeks ways to love. Seize every opportunity to make others feel good. Look past our narrow circle of friends and family and incorporate those we generally would not associate with. Listen to the options of others. Offer guidance and instruction without malice, arrogance or guile. And to summarize, I’d only suggest that we all post and memorize 1Corinthians 13 NKJV.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
God Bless
