18/02/2025
When I was teaching junior and senior high Bible class there were two lessons that I taught every year. One is John chapter 15: v12&v17 LB ...in both verses Jesus commands, yes even demands that we love each. Why? He continues "for you get enough hate from the world".
Okay, so how do we obey this command? That's a really good question because if we asked ten or more people you know to define the word love you will no doubt get ten different answers. Yes I know, there are different kinds of love, at least three in scripture but for the purpose of this study let's zero in on just one. Because, if we cannot define what "love" is, it will be impossible to obey these verses.
During an elder meeting one evening, one of our elders shared with us a meaning of the word "love" that he had just run across. He said, "LOVE means to be primarily concerned for the well-being of others without concern for response or condition." Sitting there, contemplation what I had just heard I thought to myself, that's it, that is what God means when He demands that we love each other.
I have found that when I apply this definition to the word love every time, I run across it in scripture, 98% of the time, it works. God requires us to love each other which means we need to be concerned, to be involved in the lives of others so that we can love them, help them, serve them whether they return that "love" to us or not. You may not like the way they have chosen to live their lives, the mistakes they've made. You may not like their politics. You may not like anything about them but the command is crystal clear, "I demand that YOU love each other." Remember the old saying, "WHAT WOULD JESUS DO"? Well, asking that question might be a good place to start.
Brother Bruce