Love Like God!
And the second commandment is like it:
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22: 39
Every organization has a way of identifying itself. Political parties,
sports
teams, fraternal organizations, religious groups, corporations. All
develop
ways of identifying themselves. And members or adherents adopt those
means and make them universally known.
Jesus gave His disciples just such a “brand,” or identifying
mark:
love. In John 13:35, we have His words: “By this sign all will know
that you are My disciples, if you have love for one
another.”
But can’t love be found as a trait in many different groups in society?
Yes,
but not the kind of love Jesus’ disciples are to be marked by. In verse
34,
Jesus made love of which He spoke specifically: “As I have loved you,
that
you also love one another.” In other words, it’s not just generic love—it’s
a God kind of love: sacrificial, enduring, generous, and
unconditional.
When we love those around us as Christ instructed, we're
manifesting
God’s love in the world. As God has loved us, so we are to love
one
another (John 15:12).
Being a witness for Christ ultimately involves a retelling
of
the Gospel. Even before that opportunity,
demonstrating
God’s love can be a first
step.
"The world does not understand theology or
dogma, but it understands love and sympathy."
D. L. Moody
