LOVE PART 2 John 13:34-35King James Version (KJV) 34 A…

LOVE PART 2

John 13:34-35King James Version (KJV)
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

As it was Jesus’ intent that they love one another the same way he love them; so, it is his intent that we, as Christians, love one another as he loves us. How do we do that? We must look at Jesu’ own example of how he loved his disciples. When I look in the gospels and notice how Jesus loved his disciples:

THE FIRST THING I SEE IS THAT HE LOVED THEM SELFLESSLY

You can read the gospels all over but you must come to the conclusion that Jesus never thought about himself. His one desire was to give himself and all he had for those he loved.

THE SECOND THING I SEE IS THAT JESUS LOVED THEM SACRIFICIALLY

There was no limit to what his love would give or to where it would go. No demand that could be made upon it was too much. If live meant the Cross, Jesus was prepared to go there.

THE THIRD THING I SEE IS THAT IS JESUS LOVED THEM UNDERSTANDINGLY

He knew his disciples through and through. We never really know people until we have lived with them. Jesus had lived with his disciples day in and day out and he knew all that was to be known about them—and he still loved them. Real love is not blind; it is eye-opened. The heart of Jesus is to love us as we are.

THE FOURTH THING I SEE IS THAT JESUS LOVED THEM FORGIVINGLY

Their leader was to deny them. They all were to forsake him in his hour of need. They never, in the days of his flesh, really understood him. They were blind and insensitive, slow to learn, and lacking in understanding. In the end they were even cowards.
But Jesus held nothing against them. This is the attitude I want us to see the most when posting, as Christians, on Facebook to other Christians with whom we may not agree. There was no failure he could not forgive. A love which cannot learn to forgive cannot do anything else but shrivel and die.
Now, I realize that Jesus was perfect. But, in him, this kind of love should be our goal towards each other’s as Christians, whether we agree or not. Jesus is our example. To do less give others a distorted image of the JESUS we claim to represent by calling ourselves Christians?

It is my prayer that this is encouraging and helpful.
Your friend, Tony Kim.

In Part 3 we will see how Paul says that we as Christians are to love not only each other but those who are not Christians.