JESUS SPEAKING
“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 13: 34 – 33)
FAITHFUL THOUGHTS
Before being betrayed and crucified, Jesus left His disciples with a new commandment; to love one another. In fact, according to Jesus, this manifestation of affection between believers proves the genuineness of an individual’s faith. And so this shared tenderness reveals to the world that we belong to Jesus Christ.
Concerning the discernment of authentic love, we read of an account in the old testament when two women were brought before king Solomon to settle a dispute. Both women were living in the same house, and both had given birth to newborn baby boys. At some point, one of the children was laid upon and died in the night. The first woman claimed that as she slept the other woman switched the babies, so that in the morning when she awoke she discovered the dead child laying in her bosom. She knew immediately that the child was not her baby. With both women claiming ownership of the child, Solomon devised a simple test to discover who the actual mother was. We read, ‘Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”‘ In response, one of the mothers was filled with compassion and responded saying, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” (The other mother didn’t seek to stop the execution.) Only one woman was willing to relinquish ownership so that the child would live. This affection for the child proved who the real mother was. We read, ‘So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
In much the same way, there is a simple test which can be used to identify genuine followers of Jesus Christ. Only those who truly love their brothers and sisters in the Lord are faithful followers. May we treat our fellow Christians with a special measure of affection, as a testimony of our faith to the world.
“Lord Heavenly Father, we desire to love our fellow Christians with great enthusiasm and affection. Give us that hunger as we seek to serve other believers with “gladness and singleness of heart.” We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you!
