Loving One Another Well

First John 3:16-18 says,

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (NIV)

There is no more pertinent time for us to hear this message than right now. The kind of love that we are called to as Christians is an active love. Not simply saying, “I love you,” but demonstrating that through your actions. Stop for just a moment and think, “How well have I loved my fellow Christians in the past week?” If you’re anything like me, there will be some moments that will make you cringe as you review your actions. We aren’t simply called to love one another as Christians, we are to love one another well.

Jesus said this to his disciples on the night of his arrest: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,” (John 13:34-35, NIV). This isn’t Brian’s new command, this is the command of Jesus. Let me ask another question: is the quality of our love for one another sufficient that people would be able to identify us as followers of Jesus because of it?

I hope you are continuing to connect with North Danvers in this on-going time of separation. More than ever, we need to be intentional about remaining connected. We are trying to do everything that we can in order to maintain connections. If you’re having difficulty, please reach out to Brian or someone else who can help make sure you are connected.

Focus on loving one another well this week! Be intentional. Take action.

God bless, Brian