New Commandment

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 chapter 13 begins speaking on the love Jesus had for the world and he ended speaking to the disciples about showing this love to one another so the world would distinguish them as followers of Christ.

Many have wondered why Jesus declared this a new commandment when the Old Testament clearly referenced Love as a top commandment. This new command from Jesus was a call to the disciples to show the same sacrificial love to one another as followers of Christ, that he had demonstrated to them and ultimately showed when he died on the cross.

As Christian brothers and sisters we should have an unbreakable bond of love that never ends and fails. Our relationships should reflect this love that Christ demonstrated and commanded before he died on the cross. We should be building relationships with other Christian followers and uniting in a call to preach the Gospel to the world. I'm afraid to many times we are concerned with our own ideas and thoughts, dividing the Christian church as a whole instead of uniting it.

This new commandment from Christ was a call to have a stronger love for our fellow Christian than we do for our own blood kin. Are you willing to stand for your Christian brothers and sisters? Are you willing to love them unconditionally? Are you willing to support them unconditionally? I pray today that you will ask God to reveal your heart concerning this commandment for your life, so that the world could distinguish the love between Christians, compared to the fake conditional love that exists in the world!