Love One Another as I Have Loved You
Loving one another is the core of our Christian walk. The phrase “love one another” is repeated at least a dozen times in the NT. We are also commanded to submit to one another, encourage one another, care for one another, forgive one another, and edify one another.
Jesus taught “to love one another as I have loved you.” Such love only believers can give and receive, since it grows out of having the Holy Spirit.
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are My disciples if you love one another. (John 13:34, 35)
Listen to this song- Guaranteed Your Heart will fill with Praise
Pride Kills Love
Religious pride is a nasty root that produces a wicked, sinful weed choking out the Fruit of the Spirit.
There are those that claim a love for God but pridefully show no love to others. The Word says we can never claim to love God in substitute for love for other believers (John 4:20-21). Anyone who claims to love God, yet hates his brother makes a false claim: he is a liar.
This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. (Zech 7:9).
Mercy and compassion are commands easily overlooked when one is full of pride. They focus on their definition of how to live a devoted life without thinking of the needs of others.
We have to remember this simple fact: there is no one without fault.
Jesus spent the majority of His ministry teaching against the prideful attitudes of the hypocritical Pharisees. There is no profit in knowing the whole Bible if we live without grace and the love of God!
Our natural inclination is to be self-centered and prideful. We can’t love one another in our sin nature; we need God’s Holy Spirit within us. Then love becomes a behavior flowing from within.
Loving One Another When We Don’t Agree
It’s easy to talk about loving one another. It’s much more difficult to put it into action. Christians get offended easily and bear grudges over many things, especially over interpretation of God’s Word.
Christian love does not mean that we must agree on everything. We should be able to disagree in areas while maintaining love, respect, and a warm, unified spirit.
Fruits have seeds. The Fruit of God’s Spirit are seeds that will bring forth unity and peace, not seeds of division (James 3:17-18). Quarreling, discord and division in the church are the opposite of the spiritual oneness that Jesus prayed for (John 17:21) and that the Spirit was given to produce in the body.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Eph 4:2-3).
We are to keep or guard this unity “through the bond” which consists of “peace.” We must lovingly tolerate each other in spite of our differences.
How can lost sinners believe that God loves them when God’s children don’t show love to one another?
Fulfilling the Needs of Others
When we practice the practical acts of love by meeting the needs of others we have a basic assurance of the Spirit of God within. Ask yourself this simple question, “Am I fulfilling needs of others?”
Love for God is expressed by love for one’s brother. With the Holy Spirit we joyfully desire to fulfill the needs of others. As the song says:
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, we are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, and we pray that all unity may one day be restored: And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love; Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
Not Feeling the Love?
Christ’s standard is set so high that we can easily feel inadequacy and failure at loving one another. But this guilt-ridden heart is evidence of the Holy Spirit working within us. Conviction is from God, condemnation is from the enemy.
Remember Peter’s response to the Lord’s final query, “Do you love Me?” Peter replied, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You” (John 21:17). Once we learn to rest on God’s knowledge of all things, there comes a new confidence before God.
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. (1 Jn 3:21-4:1).
This week I have been reminded how short our time is. May we make the best of it by supporting one another, consoling one another, caring for one another, helping one another, and encouraging one another in the love of Christ.
Thank you Dear Ones for the love you have shown me this week.
I’m new to your blog/web site, but have really enjoyed what I’ve found here. Thank you for the blessing and the encouragement found here.
Mikki’s last blog post..I Could Take on 19 Five Year Olds
Hi Robin,
I’m so glad you’re feeling so well. You’re so right about love. It is the main thing. I’m going to try to keep this short. I’m going to share with my kids what you wrote about the procedures they did on your heart. We’re trying to do a lapbook on the heart, but we haven’t gotten very far. I hope this will get them more interested in the whole topic.
Love,
Penney
Penney Douglas’s last blog post..What a fun party we?re having!
I am always so blessed by your spirit-filled posts. I hope the boys are being stern with you about “taking it easy”. (smile) Lord bless you, Leinani
Robin,
I’m so glad you are feeling better.
The post this morning was perfect and just what I needed to hear.
Praying for you and a quick and full recovery ~
Enjoy your w/e,
Lori
Robin: I thank the Lord that He has taken such good care of you and I especially want to thank you for this message on Loving one another. It is so important that we put aside pride, it does tend to creep in unexpectedly in the most awkward times if we are not watchful. God’s Word tells us to guard our hearts all the time for from it springs life and death and that is important when meeting new people not to be prideful and look at them as a new member of the famil of God. Thanks again. Paulette.
Robin…what a beautiful maidservant of Jesus Christ you are!!! The truth and grace that comes through your blogs is sooooooo refreshing! I can’t wait to meet you in person one day…all-be-it maybe in our new bodies, not these old ones, but nevertheless I’ll get to put my arm around you and hug ya!!!
Continuing to lift you up to the FAther and thank Him for you!
Sheila
Sheila’s last blog post..UBP 2008: Partying T-Mom style…and givin’ stuff away too!
I’m afraid I haven’t been very attentive or loving
by asking for your blogging help if you’re having current problems with your heart! I hope you’ll forgive me. It’s really an outpouring of my gratitude for you and your site–I want to be more actively involved with your “community.”
I appreciate what you’re saying about loving one another. We’re reading a book by John Piper, The Dangerous Duty of Delight, and it’s really stretching me to step outside my comfort zone and really find pleasure in love others.
Carmen’s last blog post..It’s Humbling
[...] We Are One in the Spirit [...]
HI Robin,
I spoke to you last week about a Malti-Poo pup.
I could not find your number and today I found this web site that you gave me. Well the family did get Cody. I have Little Buddy listed for $600, he is the smaller one. I wish we lived closer, I know that having to add shipping is alot. I have larger pups due the end of this month. I enjoyed our phone visit.
God Bless,
Lynn
Hi Robin,
Hope your feeling better!!! Praying for you. I think this post was well spoken…..that’s the problem with christian’s and people who go to church, there is “NO” love anymore- how can we share Jesus if we don’t love each other?
Thanks Robin, for your beautiful post. Loving one another seems like this simplest command, and yet it’s the hardest. I want to love everyone as much as myself and my family and yet I don’t have that same love welling up. I have alot of growing to do!
Oh Amen! We had a situation recently at church that without LOVE—the enemy would destroy hearts…but as we focus on Jesus…HE is the LOVE that we give to one another! What a blessing you are!
Religious pride is a nasty root &produces a wicked sinful weed choking out the Fruit of the Spirit. http://budurl.com/adwc RT @heartofwisdom
Wow. This is so true Robin. It is also hard being on the other side of an unloving Believer, trying to love and be at peace, but not willing to bend what God says in His Word to what is being demanded. It is hard to love sometimes, but it gets easier as we walk…
Sometimes we just have to walk in love and wait.
God knows all, sees all, hears all. May He bless the body and draw us to Him and His words, that our own will not be of so great value.
Thank you for this.
blessings~
Religious pride is a nasty root &produces a wicked sinful weed choking out the Fruit of the Spirit. http://budurl.com/adwc RT @heartofwisdom
Religious pride is a nasty root &produces a wicked sinful weed choking out the Fruit of the Spirit. http://budurl.com/adwc RT @heartofwisdom
RT @lisasca: Religious pride is a nasty root &produces a wicked sinful weed choking out the Fruit of the Spirit. http://budurl.com/adwc …
RT @heartofwisdom: Love One Another as I Have loved you : Listen to this song- Guaranteed Your Heart will fill with Praise http://ow.ly/PiIp
RT @heartofwisdom: Love One Another as I Have loved you : Listen to this song- Guaranteed Your Heart will fill with Praise http://ow.ly/PiIp
Hi,
Thanks for sharing your story.
this is a really good song
This blog has been an encouragement to remind me that the love of God is essential to rubbing shoulders with other persons wherever I go. God’s love shines through me if I allow it and others can be drawn to Him through it.
Josh,,,,,,,,,,,,you are so inspirational to us. Thank you for sharing your holiness with the world. You are cute, have a great voice, and have served many people in need. Thank you. Amen.