Love One Another
How great is the love of Jesus? Contemplate this brief synopsis. He came to the earth to live as one of us, which was much different than His previous existence (see Philippians 2.5-7), endured continual opposition in His mission to do good to others, allowed His creation to ridicule and mock Him, and was rejected by His very own people (John 1.11). How did He respond to this treatment? He willingly and joyfully (see Hebrews 12.2) went to the cross because we, the people who treated Him this way, needed a Savior. That, my friends, is a biblical picture of love.
What does this have to do with us? Are we only to recognize and appreciate it, or is there a practical lesson as well? Consider the following statement of Jesus to His disciples from John 13.34. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” I intentionally emphasized one section of this because that is what I hope you pay attention to today.
The love of Jesus is amazing, great, and many other descriptions, but it is also the standard of our love for each other. We should love each other to the degree that Jesus loves us. For example, if I ever wonder if my love for others will demand sacrifice, be underappreciated, or create inconvenience, the answer is YES – because that was the love that Jesus had for others, and He is the model for our love for one another.
Why do I bring this up today? I hope you noticed that we have a variety of events planned for Manchester over the next couple of months. I encourage you to be a part of these fellowship opportunities. This may be the easiest form of love that we can show to one another. We have the responsibility to continually stir up love and good works in one another (Hebrews 10.24-25). We can only do this to the degree that we grow together as a family. Will these events be inconvenient? Possibly. Will you have to sacrifice in order to attend? Probably. But, will they be worth it? Only you can decide that. Personally, I believe opportunities to be encouraged, encourage others, and share time with the same people I hope to spend eternity with is a good investment of my time and energy.
The long-term goal is easy to understand. As we grow closer to others, the feeling of a sacrifice begins to diminish. In time, as you provide opportunities for your love to grow, fellowship will feel like a natural extension of life instead of something forced onto a “usually too busy” schedule. I know this because I have read about it in the life of Jesus. He longed for opportunities to spend with people who sought after God. If we truly love like Jesus loves, would we feel the same way? Ponder this thought this week, and I hope you take the opportunity to schedule in one or more of our fellowship events.