Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Let’s try to discuss our Christian identifier.

In today’s scripture, John 13:34-35 (NLT), Jesus said…
[34] So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. [35] Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Consider…
Yesterday we focused on God classifying us as holy like Himself, and we challenged ourselves to live like it.

Today we will look into another directive from God, which is to be identified as His because we love like Him. Let’s look into how God loved.

1 John 4:9-11 (NLT) declares…
[9] God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. [10] This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. [11] Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

God loved so much that He gave who was most precious to Himself, His only Son! That means we need to love others so much that we sacrifice what’s most precious to us, for the benefit of others.

One interesting thing about God’s love expectation, expressed in today’s scripture and the preceding passage, is that it’s an overflowing rather than a reciprocating love. 1 John 4:19 (NLT) summarizes God’s love expectation succinctly. It says…
[19] We love each other because he loved us first.

God wants His love to flow through us. That’s because He wants everyone to know that He loves them. Therefore, sacrificially loving others is not optional, it’s a relationship with God requirement!

This is a good place to remind ourselves of the practical attributes of love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT) declares…
[4] Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud [5] or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. [6] It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. [7] Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Everything we just read is selfless, just like Jesus. 1 John 3:16 (NLT) informs us…
[16] We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Notice, Jesus gave up His life, meaning it was His choice to die so that we could live. This reveals the fact that we must choose to love. I believe the Holy Spirit wants us to understand that God doesn’t want us to love out of compulsion, but because we choose to.

The scripture that the Holy Spirit provided for inspiration, is one usually used for offering. 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 (NLT) says…
[7] You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” [8] And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

I believe the Holy Spirit is telling us that God wants us to cheerfully love others. This makes me think of Hebrews 12:2b-4 (NLT)…
[2b]…Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. [3] Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. [4] After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

Jesus endured the cross because of the joy He had about our salvation!

This teaches us that we should sacrificially love others with joy because of the possibilities of their relationship with Christ.

A final fact about God’s love that I am being inspired to share is that it is extended to enemies. The Holy Spirit gave me Matthew 5:43-45 (NLT) to understand. Jesus said…
[43] “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. [44] But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! [45] In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

This emphasizes the unconditional love of God that He expects us to extend to everyone.

Also, love acts in anticipation of relationship. In John 15:12-17 (NLT), Jesus said…
[12] This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. [13] There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. [14] You are my friends if you do what I command. [15] I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. [16] You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. [17] This is my command: Love each other.

These words reveal…

• The greatest love one can have is dying for others in relationship with you.
• Freely sharing what you know with who’s with you
• Being intentional about choosing to love others regardless of whether or not they choose you.

The Holy Spirit is telling us that our love for others is given in advance of their acceptance or rejection. The Holy Spirit showed me the image of a parent loving a helpless infant, which is incapable of matching or reciprocating that love. The scripture I see below the image is Romans 5:6-8 (NLT), which says…
[6] When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. [7] Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. [8] But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

This just showed me a bonus fact of God’s love, it’s a ‘but’ conjunction to the unlovable or unloving. I see how God doesn’t only love those who are worthy, rather His love made a way for the unworthy to become worthy. Therefore, our love should provide a way to help others become who God wants them to be. And He wants all of us to be in relationship with Him.

So if you are a Christian, the Lord is saying to let your love be the identifier that let’s others know that…

Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak, but He is strong

Yes Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
For the Bible tells me so

Jesus loves me he who died
heaven’s gate to open wide.
He will wash away my sin,
let his little child come in

Yes Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
For the Bible tells me so

Someone needs to know that Jesus loves them, and God wants you to show them the Christ love identification issued to you at salvation.

Today’s Song is…
Real Love

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)