Love One Another Dear Friends, God loves us with such incredible love as He has demonstrated through the sending of His Son for our redemption. Now He desires that we would love one another. Jesus in John 15:12-13 declares, “My commandment is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Many would rather give their love to a dog, a cat, a bird, or even a pet rat or snake before they dare to try to love people. These individuals do this because they often have been hurt by some person in the past. As a result they have a difficult time loving people. Even though it may be difficult, we are told in Galatians 6:2 to “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the love of Christ.” I don't know about you but I have a hard time when it comes to loving certain people. They are unappreciative, resentful and irritating. The trouble is as I describe the characteristics of these other people; I am often describing characteristics in my own life. All this can be very frustrating and that's why preaching or hearing a teaching on loving one another may be something I would rather ignore. The fact is if I claim to be a Christian it is unavoidable. Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34). Loving one another is not always easy. People are by nature unlovable and frequently irritating. When it comes to loving, irritating and obnoxious people it is often easier to just drive such people out of our lives and then try to move on through life without them. The problem is such action emotionally freezes us and prevents us from fully loving others who have similar attitudes or mannerisms in the future. That is why Jesus kept talking about the need to love one another. In Mark 12:30-31 Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your entire mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these'". Jesus, parable about the prodigal son, found in Luke 15:11-31, gives a vivid example of loving one another as yourself. The love of the Father toward his wayward son can be seen by spelling out the word PEOPLE. The patience the father showed toward his son by not disinheriting him when the son asks for his inheritance is the first word in the acronym PEOPLE.
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