Reach Across the Aisle

​John 13:34-35

It turns out that loving Jesus is the easy part. And why shouldn’t it be? We who deserved so little have received so much. We who’ve earned nothing have been given everything. We who merit only judgment have been extended total forgiveness through Him. But while loving Jesus is vitally, centrally important—“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30)—our love for Jesus is not what creates the most lasting impression on the people around us. The thing that does the best job of helping people see and know what He can truly do to change a person’s life is our difficult obedience to this single, new commandment: “just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Outsiders are not as intrigued and impressed as we think by how well we do our worship, how well we teach our classes, or how well we proclaim the Word from our pulpits. But the assurance Jesus gives us, if we will faithfully develop and nurture this kind of love for one another, is that “by this all people will know that you are my disciples.” Our love for each other is what will convince them. That’s what people really want to see.
 
Questions for further thought:

1. Think of one or two relationships with other believers where you’re withholding love from them. In light of Jesus’ commandment, how justified do you feel in your reasons for keeping your distance? 
2. After praying about it, what are some practical ways the Lord would lead you to show genuine love to these individuals? 

Challenge:
Take action on what you identified as something you can do today to show genuine love to those individuals identified above.