The commandment of love

Friday, April 1st
The commandment of love.

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
John 13:34

God's love is a self-sacrificing love. Therefore when He commands us to love others as He loves us, it means that our love for others should be self-sacrificing.

True love has always been marked by sacrifice. Therefore, the measure of love is measured by the measure of sacrifice. So, if we want to know whether we love one another, our love must be equivalent to the way Jesus loved.

When Jesus expressed His love for us, He gave Himself for us. In other words, He sacrificed Himself for us. His example of love towards us becomes our standard for loving others. Jesus said in John 15:12-13, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Ephesians 5:1-3(MSG) say, “Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. Don't allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practices, or bullying greed.”

Our standard for love is not our emotions or human love. Our standard for love and loving others is Christ’s  love for us.

Prayer.
Dear Father, I thank you because your love has been shared abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit. I ask that my love will continue to increase and abound in knowledge and in all judgment, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

For further study, read:
1 John 2:8-10, 1 John 3:23, 2 John 1:5.

Doing the Word
Love without selfishness.