SCRIPTURE: John (NIV) 13:33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
OBSERVATION: Large corporations and businesses commonly spend lots of money to have someone make a trademark. It identifies and distinguishes their product from others. Automobiles and large equipment have their trademark/emblem attached in prominent places where it can be easily seen and recognized.
Here Jesus gives the trademark by which His disciples will be recognized. It is a universal identifying characteristic by which ALL men will know. His disciples, the early church, even those living in the 21st century, all will be recognized by this characteristic. Those living in Israel, and disciples living in every country on every continent. They will all be recognized by this identifying characteristic!
APPLICATION: Jesus raised the standard from loving one another as we love ourself to loving one another as Jesus loved us! I am finding that the only way I can love my brother as Jesus loved me is for Jesus to live in me and cause His love to flow through me! And that is what He does!
It is an “inside love,” for Jesus lives in me. It is also an “outside love” because ALL people will be able to recognize that I am Christ’s disciple. ALL men will SEE His love flowing through me. It is not a love that I use to get others to give to me, but a love that motivates me to serve others.
PRAYER: Lord, let your love flow through me to those around me. Holy Spirit, work in me and work through me. May those around me be able to see Jesus in me. Amen
Pastor Leon
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