Love One Another

God lives and works today. Because He is alive today, His commandments are too. That is, they are valid, relevant, and exciting.

One of His commandments is that we should love one another as Jesus loves us. What does this mean in practical everyday life? Listen to today's meditation by Basilea Schlink. Jesus tells us plainly and clearly, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another even as I have loved you.

John 13, 34. Yes, we are to love each other as He loved us. That is, with a love that is not egoistic.

This love, which is described in 1 Corinthians 13, does not bear grudges. It doesn't become embittered. It never ends.

It perseveres and continues to serve others, no matter how they respond. But perhaps some of you are thinking, okay, fine, but how can I attain this love? When we pray for this kind of love, we can be sure that the Lord will answer. Our oversized egos, which hinder this love, must be nailed to the cross.

In practice, this means accepting the cross as in our lives. Perhaps there is a person in your life who causes you anxiety and whom you dislike intensely. This person is your cross.

The Lord has put him in your life so that your sinful reactions, your irritability, impatience, hurt feelings, and so forth, can be wounded and put to death. For these reactions are enemies of love. Therefore, we should thank and praise our Lord Jesus for every cross which He puts into our life.

However, this cross itself does not guarantee that the serpent of our ego will be killed. The important point here is that we accept this cross as coming from the hand of the Lord. He has given it to us to teach us forgiving, reconciling love.

He wills this love for us, His children. Therefore, instead of murmuring and complaining about this or that difficult person in our lives, let us say yes to this cross and be willing to bear difficult people, injustice, and hostility. Then the reconciling love which Jesus seeks can be born in us.

Jesus, the eternal love, trod the path of suffering and died on the cross out of love for us. Through Him, the way to love is open for everyone. Yes, everyone has the opportunity to call upon the blood of Jesus to be freed from bitterness and unmercifulness.

The blood of the Lamb can cleanse us from every sin and transform us into the image of God. We have been redeemed to mirror Him who is pure love. Therefore, let us enter into the battle of faith to attain this love.

Lord, hear my prayer, my earnest cry, my plea, that You may soon Your image see in me. Give me Your love, Lord, love comes from You alone. Oh, having saved me, would make me all Your own.

Lord, love like this give me. Lord, love like this give me.